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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29018487">Minais Sho</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kuugenthefox/pseuds/Kuugenthefox'>Kuugenthefox</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adults, Animal Ears, Animal tails, Brothels, Comedy, Demon, F/F, Fantasy, Girls Kissing, Harpy, High Fantasy, Lamia, Lesbian Character, Monster Girls, Multi, Prostitution, Slice of Life, Succubus, Yuri, female only, lesbian main character, mermaid, only lesbians, world building</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:35:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>86,766</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29018487</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kuugenthefox/pseuds/Kuugenthefox</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Minais Sho - The Heart of the New World.</p><p>In a place, a universe, where gods, demons and all sorts of monstery girls are real and live in relative harmony with Witches, Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and many others, the cradle of this new, revolutionary civilization, has become the melting pot for more than 70 species of monster girls.</p><p>One such girl, a Demon, has her luck about to run out. Unable to find a job she has to look at the prospect of returning back home in shame. But at the last moment, someone offers her a lifeline. Not all lifelines are worth grasping, but this Demon still did. And in doing so, she will be thrown into countless fantastic and catastrophic happenings as she takes up residence as the live-in "Aide" at the "Lilliam Residency for The Spectacular". And spectacular is not always a good thing.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Minais Sho</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a Birthday gift for my good friend Rose. Happy Birthday Rose!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Brushing the last uneven parts of hair down to perfection, she looked herself over in the mirror for the fourth time. Long dark purple hair, reaching just beyond her waist on the back, the front framing her face on both ends, reaching just next to her chin. Setting her index fingertip just below her eye, she leaned in closer and pulled a little. <em>Do other </em><em>folks</em><em> really get weirded out by black sclera?</em> As all members of her kind, her eyes had the characteristic black where most other folks possessed white. Other than that, her eyes were a beautiful shade of emerald green. And she had excellent vision to boot.</p><p>Leaning back, she tugged on some of the strands of hair. <em>Should I go with a ponytail instead? Although I’m not asking to work in the kitchen so I should probably focus on looking pretty… it is that kind of place after all.</em> Deciding that wearing her hair down was for the best she stood up.</p><p>Her room was nothing much, just a hotel room for now. A bed, a small night stand, a mirror, a desk, a wardrobe. Truly just an average room. <em>If I can’t land this job I’ll have to ask Maina to… get me a job at her brothel. Would be one thing if I was a Succubus like Maina but I’m not so I’d rather not work there. </em>She scoffed at nothing in particular but her own bias. <em>There’s worse jobs out there though.</em></p><p>Wearing an affordable, but not cheap, dress that was strongly reminiscent of human clothing, it made her look both friendly and approachable. <em>I’m glad Mom convinced me to buy this.</em> Her wings, growing out of her shoulders to the back, were folded over neatly and emerging from two large slits in the back of the dress. She could squeeze them tighter and push them against her body and possibly force them under the dress entirely but it wasn’t like she was trying to hide them. There was no point anyway.</p><p>Her tail moved quietly and subconsciously back and forth by her ankles, scrubbed clean just the night before. A normal tail, as all others of her kind had, leathery, growing out of her spine to the bottom and about one meter long, albeit she had never measured the exact length before.</p><p>Double checking her short boots, sturdy things that could support her easily for ten hours on her feet, for dirt, holes and proper lacing, she took a deep breath. Panic was starting to show on her face. <em>Ah, I’m so nervous!</em> Job interviews, even for jobs like this, were always nerve wrecking. If this fell through and either Maina couldn’t give her a job or she opted out of asking, she’d have to go back home and help out the family business. And she <b>hated</b> being an accountant. Both of her mothers were frantic about losing weight all the time because they sat around all day, every day, for their jobs.</p><p>Leaving her room, she held a solid iron key in her hand, she locked up and headed down the short hallway home to four other rooms. Going down the wooden stairs, she arrived in the tiny lobby. This hotel was primarily for medium sized people and among those, not suited for anyone with special needs like a Salamander. She was more towards the taller end of things, although her height had never been measured properly by anyone.</p><p>The owner was nowhere in sight and so she just excused herself. That person – a witch by nature – was getting on in great cycles and ran this place mainly to have company. As such, prices were low but guests were expected to humor the aging witch on occasion.</p><p>Arriving out on the street, a large sized, downward sloping street of stone pavement that had mostly residences and small shops on both sides. It went on for over two thousand steps, one of three such streets that ran in parallel, with many side alleys and back alleys connecting them, through the great city of Minais Sho. The heart of the new world.</p><p>Heading up the slope, she quickly moved across the street to the right. Because there existed many small and large kinds of people, one of the local laws was that everyone move in the same ways. Going up was to the right. Going down was to the left. Of course, when entering a house or such, one could freely cross.</p><p>As always, the roads were busy but her nerves kept her from paying too much attention on <b>who</b> was keeping them busy. She saw a few Ogres, squabbling with some Red Oni. <em>I wonder if I should have worn a hat to hide my horns… well, not like there’s any point in that.</em> She was going to be interviewed by a human, and if things worked out, hired by a human. That was really the scariest part of it all. Humans were quite numerous all over the New World and the Prima Republica to the south-west, but she could count the kinds of people she had less experience with than Humans on one hand. In some ways, they scared her. They were one of the few kinds that had both male and females, although she’d only ever seen a male human from afar.</p><p>Forty minutes it took for her to make it to the great plateau – the upper third of the city where most businesses were located. The skies were especially busy today, with dozens and dozens of flying folk out and about, delivering parcels, mails and even some heavy objects. Until coming here to Minais Sho, she had only ever heard of some of the folks she’d seen in the last six cycles. <em>S</em><em>ix</em><em> c</em><em>ycles</em><em>… how did I fail twelve interviews?</em> It was demoralizing.</p><p>The great plateau was separated into five gigantic rings of buildings, with the city administration being housed at the very center in a particularly large building that descended more than eight floors into the ground. Quietly getting out of the way when a particularly hurried group of Dwarves marched by, she wished she had enough money to get a drink or two. <em>I hope I don’t end up tongue-tied, like that other time.</em></p><p>Heading inwards, towards the second of the five rings, <em>Niitali</em> <em>Street</em>, her heart started to pound. <em>Ah, great Caldobleps, please let me get this job!</em> Although she was not a great believer into the gods, it didn’t hurt to ask the god of breweries and drinking for some help. <em>Maybe I should have made an offering… but I can’t go without food. If my stomach growls during an interview, I’m toast.</em></p><p>Up there on the plateau she missed the presence of the water folks. She had heard whispers that a large scale project involving <em>plumbing</em>, something she didn’t really understand too well, was underway and to be completed in only forty great cycles. It was intended to add river-ways to the plateau, something that was currently only found in the Freesight, the lower third of the city, and some specific parts of the Toil, the center third.</p><p>Stopping, she could see the place she was trying to get hired by. <em>Deep breaths, deep breaths.</em> A couple holding hands passed her by. A Golem lady and an Automaton Lady, both of them over two meters tall. She earned a worried look from them and quickly smiled and shook her head to signal <em>everything okay</em>.</p><p>Approaching the building, she saw the <em>Now Hiring</em> sign up front in the common language that almost every sentient being was taught from childhood on. Supposedly it was invented only thirteen centuries ago by a particularly fantastically smart Genie called Al Al Da Din. <em>Okay, enough distractions! No more trivia, brain! Focus! Focus!</em></p><p>Entering, she felt her confidence wane immediately. Four other people were there; two sitting at a table, one nervously pacing next to the table, and one looking somewhat half asleep a table over. The room was large, big enough to seat even the large kinds of people, with four reinforced tables, six medium tables and two small tables towards the back. There was a second floor too, accessible by stairs, and it also looked like this place would serve the flying folks, with there being comfortable looking seats just below the roof and large window like shutters built into the roof itself.</p><p>All of it was wood and now that she looked closer, it seemed like a place that was definitely out of her price range to frequently visit herself. Shifting her focus to the other applicants, she had seen all of those kinds of people before. The sleepy one was a Nekomata that had golden fur and equally brilliant hair. Her ears twitched as the new arrival came in.</p><p>One of the two by the table was a Lamia, with beautiful green scaling, turquoise colored hair and ridiculously shiny eyes. The other one seemed to be Human. Or Elven. She couldn’t tell those two folks apart other than by their ears and height, and being seated and having long, ashen-blonde hair, it hid her ears perfectly. From the lack of any noticeable chest, she presumed her to be Elven. They were typically less endowed than humans.</p><p>The last one, pacing, was one of the small folks, a Gyoubi Danuki. <em>That’s unusual</em>. Danuki typically worked in gambling parlors and such. Seeing one of them in a tavern was really a rarity.</p><p>Out of the back came another human – from what she could tell, a young girl. It was difficult to judge human ages, especially of females. They were the kind of people that had the absolute biggest variance to their appearances. <em>Human Study</em> was one of the classes she hadn’t opted into taking and now she regretted it. The young human looked near tears and a much older human lady stepped out after her. <em>Gulp.</em> Humans, when they got old, had their hair turn gray, and this one’s hair was almost white. Her face was barely wrinkled however, her clothing was formal attire of the far eastern country of the Youko, and her stride was impeccably elegant.</p><p>“Danuki, Human, Lamia, Nekomata and...-” She looked at <b>her</b>. “A demon.” Nobody reacted to that in any way. Demons were not quite <b>as</b> common as Humans in Minais Sho but they <b>were</b> very common. She was just one of thousands and thousands of demons living there.</p><p>“You and you-” She pointed at the Nekomata and Danuki. “You can go.”</p><p>“But-!” The Danuki protested and nearly shriveled up into nothingness when the old human’s gaze nearly took her apart.</p><p>The Nekomata made an annoyed meowing sound and left, followed by a very unhappy looking Danuki.</p><p>“You.” She pointed at the human by the table. “Do you have experience working as a waitress?”</p><p>“N-No, but-”</p><p>“You can go.”</p><p><em>H-Harsh! This lady is harsh! She kicked out three people in an instant! Is she like… the human equivalent of our lords?!</em> <em>If I say anything I’m done!</em></p><p>“Leaves the Lamia and the Demon.” The lady walked up to the Lamia who got up. She seemed on the shorter end of things, with probably barely measuring over three steps. “How’s your cooking?”</p><p>“Y-Yes? Uh… is the position not for-”</p><p>“Girl, how is your cooking.”</p><p>“Yes! Uhm, I have some experience.”</p><p>“What kind?”</p><p>“Mostly Hachume, Sakame, a bit of Torime-”</p><p>“You’re hired. You’ll work as our second fiddle in the kitchen. You’ll be handling most of our Hachume and Sakame foods then. Go back there now and introduce yourself.” The human wasted absolutely no time. She hadn’t even asked the Lamia’s name yet. And again, like a hurricane, the lady approached her. “Experience?”</p><p>“N-None. But-”</p><p>“You can go.” The lady turned around and walked away.</p><p>“Please, I really need this job!” She stepped forward, just one step, and gulped almost audibly when the lady turned just her side, staring at her from the side.</p><p>“That is not my problem.”</p><p>“I’m a quick learner!”</p><p>“Listen girl.” The lady turned about now. “Begging is unbecoming of a woman. Desperation will soil the food.”</p><p>“I don’t have the luxury of being picky. One cannot live on dignity and pride alone.”</p><p>The lady stared her down. She was sure that there were Dragons and Ryu out there that had less imposing stares. Her eyes were like blue gems, weathered by ten thousand storms and a million waves shattering on bedrock. “What’s your name, girl?”</p><p><em>Progress!</em> She hadn’t even asked the Lamia for her name, and that one had been hired! “Mirosa Al’vatrafi Salekzis.” <em>I’ll skip that most of my friends and even my M</em><em>om and Mother</em><em> just call me Misa.</em></p><p>“Then, Mirosa, do you realize why I am turning you away?”</p><p>“Because I have no experience.”</p><p>“Exactly. This establishment is most frequented by customers with a heavy wallet expecting nothing but the best service. I am perplexed you would attempt to be hired here without knowing this.”</p><p>“I heard about it from the neighbors and…” <em>Guess I am not getting this job after all.</em></p><p>“Your kind lives long. Have some patience. Now be off.”</p><p><em>For a moment there I thought she’d help me out but I guess that’s too much to expect from a complete stranger. </em>Leaving without a word, the midday sun felt oppressive. Standing there on the street, surrounded by tall buildings, she walked a few steps and suppressed her urge to cry. <em>I was really hoping this would work out… I’m almost out of money… Huh?!</em> Checking her right pocket for a small leather pouch that contained the little money she had left, it was gone. <em>Fantastic.</em> “Argh!” Gritting her teeth, stomping on the ground, she felt desperation give way into anger. <em>I bet it was that Nekomata or that Danuki that picked my pocket! I was so nervous I didn’t even notice…</em></p><p>With things going badly, it came to her at no surprise that upon returning to her hotel, she was faced with the owner and had to explain her situation. With no money to even eat, much less pay for her room the day after tomorrow, she gave up. <em>Guess I’ll… go ask Maina.</em></p><p>She really didn’t want to work in a brothel. Although it was one of the common professions and one of the undying ones, too, she personally had very little experience with sex and even less experience with love, so what was she to do but learn from scratch? And she didn’t imagine that would be pleasant.</p><p>The Freesight, the lower third of the city, was much flatter, much more chaotically built than the Plateau and the Toil. A massive river of a hundred and forty meters width ran through it, coming all the way from the far south-eastern eternal forest and emerging into the ocean just a few hundred steps away from the city.</p><p>It was there that the loud workshops, the tumultuous eateries, the dirtiest of gambling dens and all other sorts of shady places came to call home. But it was also the busiest, buzzing and most alive place in the entire world. With countless haphazardly direct roads going anywhere and nowhere, some buildings accessible only from the air by Harpy or Griffon transport, the constant bustle and hustle by the river, and more than fifty kinds of folks calling it home, it was civilization’s melting pot of ideas, culture and conflict.</p><p>While the Toil was heavily sloped, the Freesight was very flat, unnaturally so. This was of course because centuries of development had rolled over the terrain like a single gigantic plate, pressing it all down. Entering from the western part of the Toil, Misa hesitated. There were no clearly defined ways to go. Everyone went anywhere, bumping into others, with pickpockets out and about. Of course, she had nothing left to get stolen.</p><p>At the bottom of each of the major roads the Toil had laid a huge plaza that was home to food stands, peddlers, small merchants and just the most intense conversational volume of rumors and gossip in all of existence. Of course, each plaza was filled to the brim with life of all kinds and it was a real adventure to just get from one side to another.</p><p>A clever tactic was often to walk in the wind shade of one of the larger folks with entire lines of smaller folks scurrying after them in the relatively safety of the parted sea of life as the large folk walked. Using that exact strategy, she caught sight of a Minotaur that was hauling a gigantic crate that could have fit two grown Lamias, and followed after it. The place she looked for, the <em>Barash Tak</em>, which translate to <em>Damp Kiss</em> in the common language, was located to the south of where she was, in the almost impossible to navigate thicket of the Freesight’s most densely built parts.</p><p><em>Let’s not get lost this time…</em> Switching from the Minotaur to an Ogre that headed in the same direction, Misa successfully got away from the plaza and entered the narrow ways, often called the labyrinth. It smelled a little strong of various things but nothing truly disgusting. Alcohol vapor was heavy in the air, buildings were so close to one another that if any two larger folks met on the street, one would have to back away into an alley, and most of it all, various types of smoke were in the air.</p><p>The Ogre briefly stopped and Misa quickly realized why; an incredibly beautiful Echidna, a folk similar to the Lamias but much larger and magically gifted. This one had glistening red and yellow scaling as well as brightly pale purple skin and fiery red hair. She was well built and held herself up much more than necessary, so she measured more than two heads above Misa, looking down on her. It was just for an instant but the Echidna licked her lips as she looked at the Demon.</p><p>The Ogre, a very buff lady that measured probably around two and a half steps high, looked after the Echidna and then looked down. “They are quite something.” She didn’t indicate whether she wanted an answer of if she had noticed Misa before now and didn’t seem to care to wait for Misa to make up her mind on either question.</p><p>The Ogre parted ways with her at the next intersection and Misa continued on alone. Despite the shadiness of the labyrinth, serious crime was an oddity and rarity in Minais Sho. Crimes based in violence often carried extreme penalty with it and as the city was under the protection of powerful beings, very few dared to violate the laws.</p><p>Passing by several other brothels, some focused on serving specific folks, some focused on providing specific fetishes and services, she was not really bothered by it. All things considered, brothels were generally a by females for females business. Many didn’t even understand the concept of offering services to males, from the Dwarves, Elves or Humans. Places that covered that sort of thing were mainly in the back alleys of the Toil and even the one or odd place on the Plateau.</p><p>Taking a wrong turn twice, doubling back and asking the poster girl of a shop that specialized in offering service girls that belonged to the general family of the Lamia folk, Misa finally got to the place she needed to be at. Standing outside, wearing a skin-tight dress that looked of Elven make, smoking, was a Youko with two tails, giving Misa an impish and seductive look. “Wow, what a pretty demon lady.” Youko were mostly human-like women with fox ears and tails, many of them possessing magical powers. They were also quite whimsical.</p><p>“Is Maina in?”</p><p>“The boss?” The Youko put an elongated pipe to her lips and breathed in deeply. Breathing out, the smoke formed an arrow that pointed inside.</p><p>The door was painted in a dark shade of pink and Misa stepped inside without hesitation. She hadn’t really been to a brothel ever before coming to the city, but she was familiar with Maina’s ways and it was pretty much just a business like any other anyway.</p><p>The lobby was just a small room with a front desk, a sleepy looking Grizzly lady behind the desk and two curtained doorways, one of small size, one medium. Perfume was in the air and the lingering smell would definitely have made her horny if she wasn’t there out of desperation.</p><p>The Grizzly looked at Misa, her fur coat was almost black and so was her long black hair, and she pointed at a large book chained to the wall next to the desk. With a yawn, the Grizzly looked ready to take a midday nap.</p><p>“I’m here to see Maina.”</p><p>“We don’t have any girls working here by that name.”</p><p>“I’m her cousin, Mirosa. Misa.”</p><p>The Grizzly looked at her again. “Oh.” It was like she remembered something. “I think the boss <b>did</b> mention you a couple of days ago.”</p><p>“Is she in?”</p><p>“Go through there-” The Grizzly pointed at the medium doorway. “Last door to the left, knock twice, then moan.”</p><p><em>Bad taste as always…</em> “Thank you.”</p><p>“You sure you don’t want to have a little round with someone? You look like you could use it.” Grizzly’s looked lazy and slow-witted but they were in fact pretty smart. That was something Misa had not been able to learn from textbooks back home.</p><p>“That’s probably a bad idea.” <em>I have no money <b>and</b> they’ll be my co-workers… rivals? Competition? I don’t know how it works… </em></p><p>Most of the rooms she passed by had the door slightly open. She spied a few of the girls working there inside. Another Youko, a blue fox, another Grizzly, a Nekomata, a second Nekomata and just short of the end of the hallway, a lady with black and white Grizzly like ears and arms. <em>W-Wow…</em> That last one in particular was so attractive that Misa felt her throat get a little dry. <em>I really wouldn’t mind… no, no, </em><em><b>bad</b></em><em> Misa!</em></p><p>Knocking twice on the last door, she abandoned dignity. “<em>Aahh~</em>” <em>God that’s so embarrassing!</em></p><p>“Come in.” A sultry voice came from inside and Misa entered a room that made her head spin. Everywhere she looked there were translucent curtains. The smell of sex and extreme arousal was so heavy in the air, she tried to dissipate it by waving her hand. The lighting was poor, it was hot and kind of humid too.</p><p>“Maina, it’s- <em><b>Kyah</b>!” </em>She yelped when someone suddenly caressed her butt. Jumping ahead, she nearly collided with a wooden pillar, emerging out of a bed frame. “It’s <b>me</b>!”</p><p>“Oh I knew.” The same sultry voice again, coming from just in front of her. Curtains being slowly pushed aside, a completely naked lady showed herself to Misa. She had large curled horns protruding from her head, pointy ears just like Misa, large leathery wings in a bright shade of pink and an equally pink tail that culminated in a heart shaped mark. Powerfully black hair, golden eyes and fair human like skin, she was also obscenely busty, so much so that Misa was stunned by it, even though she had seen them hundreds of times in the past. “Finally run out of money, Misa?”</p><p>“… You don’t have to be so blunt about it. And do you <b>have</b> to run around naked? Just because-”</p><p>“Just because I’m a Succubus I shouldn’t discard modesty? I’m in the middle of work though.”</p><p>“Huh?” Misa flung about and looked on the bed. A very small kind of Harpy, in all pink and a flying folk, was passed out on the covers, drooling, covered in sweat and Succubus saliva, her huge chest jiggling every time she breathed. <em>This is exactly Maina’s taste… </em>For Misa though, she preferred elegance or cuteness, not extreme sexiness like that girl. “Why’d you even let me come in then?”</p><p>“I’m letting Pari there take a break.”</p><p>“You… know why I’m here, right?”</p><p>“Well, yeah. But I got bad news on that front.”</p><p>“No way. No way! You said if I can’t find anything-!”</p><p>“That was <b>c</b><b>ycles</b> ago, Misa. I had a really talented girl come in and couldn’t <b>not</b> hire her. I don’t have any space to hire you now.”</p><p>“But-”</p><p>“Look, I expected you’d show up sooner or later, so I got something in the works.”</p><p>“It’s not sketchy, is it?”</p><p>“Well, in <b>my</b> opinion it isn’t.”</p><p>“It’s… not illegal, right?”</p><p>“Oh, you’re fine on that front, don’t worry. But honestly, I’m pretty sure you’re not gonna like what it is. You being you.”</p><p>“Please just tell me.”</p><p>“Right, right. There’s this place that rents out rooms to to-do-wells. It’s run by someone… well, let’s just call her a strong personality.”</p><p>“I can’t afford something like that. What’s this about?”</p><p>“That’s where this Maina’s connections come in. I know for a fact that there is a spot open right now and they will definitely take you as a tenant. For free.”</p><p>“With a <b>h</b><b>uge</b> caveat, obviously.”</p><p>“Not <b>that</b> big, really. Honestly, it’s a little less, uh- well, it suits you a bit more than this place would.”</p><p>“What exactly is it? From how you’re propping this up, I can <b>sort</b> of guess, but…”</p><p>“Basically you’ll be a one-girl brothel for everyone living there.”</p><p>It took a moment for that to sink in with Misa. “I… guess I get what you mean. Instead of doing it with random customers I’m basically always servicing the same people?”</p><p>“Exactly. It honestly boggles the mind how a smart cookie like you couldn’t get a job.”</p><p>“You didn’t sabotage me, right?”</p><p>“Come on now.”</p><p>“Sorry, just… it’s just… it really sucks. I wanted to have a normal job and-”</p><p>“Working <b>here</b> would be a normal job, too.”</p><p>“I wanted a job that didn’t involve getting naked.”</p><p>“I never understood what your problem is with that.”</p><p>“Not a problem! Just… I had this image in my head of what I was gonna do for a living in the city. It’s not like you need to be smart to- what?” Maina was staring at her.</p><p>“You <b>do</b> need to be pretty well taught to service a wide array of customers. Do you even know where a Lamia’s sensitive spots are? How a Medusa differs from a Lamia when they get really aroused? How to best stimulate a Cyclops? How to get a Valkyrie and Dark Valkyrie pair going?”</p><p>“That’s all job experience stuff!”</p><p>“No it isn’t.” Maina sighed and pushed Misa to sit down on the bed. It was kind of sticky, she could feel it grab hold of her dress. “Nobody, in this industry, gets to actually work before learning at least a few of these from their Serai. You think I’d let some complete newbie into a room alone with a customer expecting someone that can show them a good time?”</p><p>“Really? I thought-”</p><p>“You <b>assumed</b>. Bad move.”</p><p>“Okay, okay… my bad. Just… out of curiosity, how exactly am I supposed to make that live-in brothel thing work then?”</p><p>“They’ll look to you for a good time, but they’ll also teach you.”</p><p>“At least I won’t have to put money down on it...”</p><p>“The girl running that place is called Rila, she’s a Gargoyle. There’s fourteen other girls, so you’ll be busy. She might take you to other places so you can learn about some folks that <b>aren’t</b> part of the household there. Maybe.”</p><p>“Why do I get the feeling that once I’ve got all that experience, you’ll suddenly have an open spot for me?”</p><p>“Honestly I hope that eventually a spot opens up over there and I can move there.”</p><p>“Don’t you live here?”</p><p>“<b>Here?</b> This is where I work. No I don’t live here. I got a shanty little place out east just below the Toil.”</p><p>“Wow. I didn’t know.”</p><p>“Lots of things you don’t know, smartypants.” Patting Misa on the back, Maina turned over and crawled on the bed. “Time to wake her up.” Licking her lips, after all she was about to have another meal, Maina glanced towards her cousin. “Ask Karla out front for directions.”</p><p>“I’m glad I wasn’t born a Succubus.”</p><p>“That’s rude, you know.”</p><p>“That’s fine, that’s what family is for.”</p><p>“I’ll remember that when your Mom and Mother write me a letter asking me how things are.”</p><p>“Wha- You fiend!”</p><p>“Says the Demon.”</p><p>“Demons are perfectly law abiding citizens!”</p><p>“I know that. You know that. But the <b>Humans</b>-”</p><p>“They also know that you prehistoric dumbass!”</p><p>“Hey hey, is that any way to speak to your savior?”</p><p>“Savior my butt, I’m leverage and a down payment.”</p><p>“And <b>still</b> saved.”</p><p>“You’re the worst.”</p><p>“The <b>best</b> in bed though.” Licking her lips again, she gave Misa a seductive look. “Or did you forgot who it was that took you on that fantastic journey to losing your virginity?”</p><p>“I haven’t. I couldn’t walk for three days.”</p><p>“You never said the safe word.”</p><p>“Hard to talk with a fifteen prod tongue in my mouth.”</p><p>“You’re still using those antiquated terms?”</p><p>“It’s hard to think of it as a <em>meter</em> and <em>centimeter</em>! What does that even <b>mean</b>?”</p><p>“It’s just words. Don’t blame me, blame those academics you like so much.”</p><p>“Oh, I do!”</p><p>“Anyway, time to get out. I got a meal- er, work to do.”</p><p>“Who was I gonna ask?”</p><p>“Karla. The sexy Youko out front.”</p><p>She had barely left the room, feeling actual air in her lungs again, when she heard an unknown voice moan like her head was going to explode. <em>I hope they don’t expect me to be like Maina. I </em><em>hope they know the difference between a Demon and a Succubus…</em> <em>most do, but you never know…</em></p><p>Ignoring the Grizzly by the desk – and so she was ignored too – Misa left the building, finding the Youko called Karla standing outside.</p><p>The Youko was grinning. “Quite the job you’ve picked up, have you?”</p><p>“You knew who I was and you knew what kinda job Maina had for me the entire time, didn’t you?” Misa had this eerie feeling that every single Youkou was always jerking around everyone around them. Not as badly as the Cheshire Cat, but definitely jerks.</p><p>“Of course not. Certainly I knew that a <b>Misa</b> would be coming to join our household and all, but I did not know she looked quite this good.”</p><p>“Eh?”</p><p>“Maina would not tell you that, but I am one of the tenants in that building.”</p><p>“Even though you work here? Does Maina pay you that much?”</p><p>“I work here because it is amusing. I live there because it is amusing.”</p><p>“Uh...” Misa was at a loss of words.</p><p>“Maina was right, you are quite funny looking when you’re pushed.”</p><p>“Can you tell me how to get to the building?” She wanted to get this initial plunge over with before her nerves gave out entirely.</p><p>“It’s up east, just at the start of he Toil on the eastern-most main road.”</p><p>While the Freesight was split by the river and expanded ever outward, the Toil and the Plateau had little to do with the river other than partaking in its clean waters with wells</p><p>“Once you go up the Toil, look for a building that looks… unusual.”</p><p>“Unusual. Any more apt description?”</p><p>“Oh you’ll figure it out immediately when you see it.”</p><p>“How-”</p><p>“You just will.”</p><p>“I… see. Thanks. I guess.” <em>What </em><em><b>is</b></em><em> it with the Youkou?</em> “Then… I’ll see you there?”</p><p>“Probably not tonight, or perhaps you will.” Touching her own index finger against her lips, the Youkou Karla blew a heart of smoke that sailed just past Misa. “This will be so amusing.”</p><p>“Uh huh. Bye.” Misa left as quickly as she could without caring about appearing rude or ungrateful. Sure, she got to stay here in Minais Sho, but she did have to put up with a situation she didn’t like. <em>I should tell Maina thanks though… she did arrange it, even though it kinda sucks.</em></p><p>Getting through the first plaza was just the start. Between each plaza laid an entirely separate labyrinth that sprawled out into the southern chaos where all the labyrinths became one. It was possible to spend a Demon’s lifetime exploring Minais Sho’s labyrinthine Freesight and never see everything. She was on the third plaza when she considered that ascending the Toil and passing slowly through the many back alleys to get from main street to main street might be more convenient. But at the same time it would be a lot of up and down and she had no idea how much energy she would need tonight.</p><p>The closer she got to the east, the more insecure she felt. <em>Can I really do this? Be like a… one-person live-in brothel. I only ever slept with other Demons and Maina. I don’t know the first thing about pleasuring a Lamia or such. Never mind the more complex folks like a Golem! Oh no, what if they have someone like a Genie living there? Or a Dullahan?! I could probably manage with a Vampire… </em></p><p>It took her almost two hours to get all the way east, partially because she kept stopping to think about how not qualified she was for this. But Maina’s teasing aside, her cousin was a good if very desire driven person. She’d not set this up if she thought it would be a real disaster. <em>She did say they’ll be training me… I hope there’s no really rare folks there. Someone easy, someone easy!</em></p><p>The house that she found was, in one word, odd. She couldn’t decide if <em>b</em><em>oring</em> or <em>c</em><em>onfusing</em> applied mutually exclusively or at the same time. It did share the same characteristic of all the other houses; it levelled the ground to build evenly. But beyond that, the walls went straight into the ground and as she got closer she could see that there it wasn’t air-tight at all; about a fifth of a step was between the ground and the house wall. <em>Who built this? Dwarves?</em> With how clear it was that a bunch of the house was subterranean, she directed her eyes upward.</p><p>Looking back down, she reached for her face and scrubbed her eyes of any potentially foreign elements. <em>What…</em> And again, looking upwards, she didn’t quite understand what it was she looked at. The house was shaped like a cube, somewhat, with the ground floor and one the one above being basically the same. But then… Taking more than just a few steps back, so far that she ended up on the other side of the street.<em> Why is it built like that?</em></p><p>From the ground floor, which was at least two houses wide, the building only had a second floor. And then a fourth. The in-between was just a whole bunch of wooden and stone beams intersecting like a complex basket. She had seen something very vaguely similar<b> inside</b> an attic before.For some reason the architect of the building deemed it necessary to just skip the third floor and then have a roof. Or roof like floor? <em>I don’t know… I’ve never seen something like this before.</em></p><p>Looking around, she found a dried fruit salesman – making bank on the huge amount of people that went up and down the Toil and wanting a snack – just a few meters over. His skin was tanned like dark leather, his eyes bright yellow like the sun and he was mostly covered in a big white hat and white robe. The best she could figure out, considering the man seemed to be human, was that he was in the <em>middle-aged</em> bracket. “Excuse me.”</p><p>“Apple for the young lady?” There was no hesitation in his voice on calling her young and no doubt in his approach to meeting a Demon. Her kind wasn’t rare after all. Just looking up or down the street and she could likely have found another one.</p><p>“Sorry, I just want to ask a question.”</p><p>The man’s eyes glanced to all sides really quickly. “Very well then, I hope this old man can be of service.” His smile persisted.</p><p>“That house over there-”</p><p>“Ah, <b>that</b> place.”</p><p>“Is it famous?”</p><p>“Perhaps infamous.”</p><p>“Do… shady people live there?”</p><p>“Oh, no, no. It is just that… well, how should I put it? It is infamous because of how much the residents fight. Just the other day there was a huge confrontation that spilled into the street.”</p><p>“It what?”</p><p>“The Ocelot and Jinko that live there got into an argument and started to fight out in the street.”</p><p><em>Just my luck. Two super dangerous people right off the bat.</em> “Did anyone get hurt?”</p><p>“It was stopped pretty quickly by the Gargoyle that lives there.”</p><p><em>A </em><em><b>Gargoyle</b></em><em>?! One of the magic </em><em>f</em><em>olks</em><em>?</em> The magic folks included many pseudo immortal things such as Genies and were distinct from the undead in several ways. Golems and Automatons were the big, public figures of them all. “Does that happen a lot?”</p><p>“Every few days. It seems that the people living there are very… stressed. They should eat more fruit!” The man laughed, full knowing that a few apples were not gonna fix something so broken.</p><p>“I… see. Thank you.” Turning back towards the house, she was able to take a step forward despite her worries.</p><p>“Young Lady.” It really had just been one step. “Here.” He lightly lopped an apple over to her. “Pay me back when you can.”</p><p>“Thank you.” Smiling – her mother had drilled into her how important good manners were, with mild success, – she quickly took the first bite before the human changed his mind.</p><p>The house, or complex of housing was a more accurate term, was larger than it appeared. The basket-like support of the top floors extended towards the back and as she walked to the side of the house, treading carefully on soft grass, she could see that the building was elongated towards the back. <em>Does this extend all the way to the cliff? </em>As it was on the eastern-most road of the Toil, there was a lot of gardens and such behind buildings. The western-most road was the same. The central roads offered cheaper value for land to build on but it also came with noisy neighbors and less green.</p><p>Roughly three times as long as other buildings, she arrived at the back. <em>That had to have been… forty steps? Maybe more?</em> She didn’t really count and went off a feeling. Looking at the small garden in front of her, she could hear water running. And it was not the river about fifteen meters down below, the noise of that long since blended into the surrounding noise of the city. <em>Excuse me? This is the </em><em><b>Toil</b></em><em>? Where is that coming from?</em></p><p>“Hey, what are you doing here?!”</p><p>Startled by someone suddenly shouting at her, she looked to all sides and couldn’t see anyone. Turning her eyes up, she expected someone to be flying above her, what with the building clearly catering towards the flying folks, but still there was nobody.</p><p>“Down here.” The voice sounded kind of tired out already. Like she had seen Misa’s reactions dozens of times already.</p><p>Finally looking down, she jumped back the moment someone else was looking at her. Down by her feet was a metallic grid, overgrown with vines and in dire need of cleaning. The grid extended outwards all the way to the cliff. And beneath that grid was running water. <em>How?! This is the Toil!</em></p><p>“Wow, been a while since I’ve seen someone look <b>so</b> surprised.” The voice belonged to a young looking girl that was holding on to metal bars fastened to the edges of what looked like a stone canal. She had coral like wavy hair and wore a long pink dress that stubbornly refused to become wet looking or cling to her pretty extravagant body. Her scaling, as far as Misa could see, was a bright green intersected with blue streaks. “Hey, country bumpkin, I’m not artwork.”</p><p>“I-I’m sorry, I just-”</p><p>“Never seen a mermaid before? Jeez, where are <b>you</b> from? The boonies?”</p><p>“Uhhh…” She couldn’t really speak up against that. Compared to Minais Sho, she really <b>was</b> from the boonies.</p><p>“… I feel like I’m the bully here.”</p><p>“Uhm…”</p><p>“What are you doing here? This is private property.”</p><p>“Ah, oh, I was… told to come here. I’m the… the live in…”</p><p>The mermaid slapped her tail violently into the water twice and doused herself in visible excitement. “We <b>finally</b> found a new aide?!”</p><p><em>A</em><em>ide</em><em>?</em> “Oh, no, no, I’m just… I’m supposed to be the live in girl for… sex.”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>
  <em>Huh?</em>
</p><p>“I think someone’s been making fun of you. I mean, I <b>guess</b> that can be part of being the aide but-” She made a mildly annoyed face. “Well, yeah, it is definitely part of it, but that’s not <b>all</b> this is.”</p><p>“It’s not?”</p><p>“Obviously. If that was all it was we could just order from one of the brothels.”</p><p>“Oh.” <em>That makes sense actually.</em></p><p>“I’m Krishtal Sha’lnif. Or just Kris.”</p><p>“I’m Misa.” She dropped her jaw. “I mean-”</p><p>“Do not even start with your full name, I <b>so</b> do not care. If Misa is what you go by, then it’s Misa.”</p><p>“O-Okay.” <em>Mermaids are kinda different from what I heard…</em></p><p>“You meet Rila yet?”</p><p>“No.” <em>Who is that?</em></p><p>“What, you just thought you’d stroll around the house or something?”</p><p>“Uh…”</p><p>“Bold. You’re lucky you didn’t run into our resident pissy cat yet.”</p><p>“Your… what?”</p><p>“Resident of Four-Two. She’s an Ocelot. By the gods, she is <b>so</b> in need of getting laid.”</p><p><em>Ah, here we go.</em> “That’s gonna be my job then?”</p><p>“Pretty much. You were hired for this place, right?”</p><p>“Well, yeah… but not as an <em>aide</em>. What does an aide even do?”</p><p>“You’re housemaid, counselor and resident sexy brothel girl rolled all in one.”</p><p>“Wow, uh… I don’t have a lot of experience with any of that.”</p><p>“Can’t possibly be worse than having nobody to do it.”</p><p>“I see. Just out of curiosity… why was the position open?”</p><p>“The last one quit six months ago and because this place has a reputation, everyone’s too much of a scared bitch to apply.”</p><p><em>This girl’s got a mouth on her… </em>“A reputation?”</p><p>“You’ll figure that out if you haven’t heard.”</p><p><em>Great.</em> “Where do I find this Rila?”</p><p>“She should be home.”</p><p>“Oh, I got a question… how do I get up there?” She pointed at the sixth floor.</p><p>“Easy. Look to your left. No, the other left.” Kris cringed a little.</p><p><em>Stairs. Really? <b>Stairs.</b> </em>Circular stairs that were built around an at least two meter radius wooden super pole stuck in the ground, reaching up all the way to the top. <em>Well at least I’m confident in my stamina.</em></p><p>“Rila lives on the third floor though.”</p><p>“The… third?”</p><p>“Ah, you haven’t figured that out yet? What you see as the first floor is the third. We got two floors beneath that. I live down on the first floor.”</p><p>“Really? Isn’t it cold and dark below?” She flinched under the judgmental stare from Kris. “Yes, that’s right, I’m from the boonies! I haven’t got any idea about… about weird buildings like this!”</p><p>“Well, to be fair, this <b>is</b> a real weird building. Still, you think we mermaids live in the cold and dark down on the ocean floor?”</p><p>“Uh…”</p><p>“Right, you’ve never even thought about that, right?”</p><p>“It’s never come up before!”</p><p>“Bio luminescent corals and algae, water resistant materials, magical orbs, my room looks more or less the same as any other. Just underwater.”</p><p>“Entirely underwater?”</p><p>“Don’t worry, when I wanna fuck, there’s a good alternative to you holding your breath for thirty minutes straight.” And with that the mermaid let go of the metal bar and flowed down the stone canal, hidden away by ivy covered grids and then rock.</p><p>Waiting for fifteen seconds before she started to look around, Misa felt lost. <em>What… do I do now? Was this like… saying goodbye? Should I go and find Rila? Now that I think about it… where have I… oh.</em> She remembered. <em>Maina. She said a ‘Rila’ runs this place and that she’s a Gargoyle. So the Gargoyle the fruit vendor mentioned is the proprietor of this place? That’s… oh by the gods, how do I even interact with a Gargoyle? I never even met one before! I never met a Mermaid before either though and I think… nothing could have prepared me for such a foul-mouthed young… is she young? I don’t know how long Mermaids live! What if I’m the youngest here and everyone just orders me around and bullies me? I hope there’s no large folks here… I wouldn’t even know how to handle an Ogre or Oni… </em></p><p>“Hey, boonies girl!”</p><p>Looking back down, she couldn’t see Kris. <em>Where is she?</em></p><p>“To your left, dumbass!” She turned. “The <b>other</b> left!” Groaning followed.</p><p>Poking out from the grass was Kris. <em>She’s on land?! But Mermaids-</em> She lunged forward to what she perceived as an emergency and marched right into a slope, fell and landed face first in a pond that was rather shallow. Emerging from the water with a gasp for air – despite only having been under for less than two seconds – she could actually keep her head over water while kneeling.</p><p>“A pond?!”</p><p>“Well, duh, what did you think, that I propelled myself onto dry land like some idiot?”</p><p>
  <em>I totally did.</em>
</p><p>“No surprise you walked right into this though. It’s kinda… like, fuck, I can barely see shit.” The grass around the pond was so high grown that it obfuscated the pond. There were lots of leafs, algae and other plant things floating in it, too. “Cleaning <b>this</b> up should be on your priority list.”</p><p>“This?! Me?!”</p><p>“Well, you can ask for help but it’s pretty much your job.”</p><p>“Why is there even a pond here?!”</p><p>“Because I had it put in? Cost a fortune to have a witch imbue the sluice with a flow reversal rune.”</p><p>“A what?!” Misa finally started to crawl out of the water but was pulled back in by Kris. They were right by the edge so even Kris wasn’t fully submerged despite halfway lying down. “H-Hey-” Misa froze when she could feel Kris’ hands move over her now soaking wet body, her dress that outlined every curve of her body.</p><p>The mermaid made no effort to conceal her interests and brazenly groped her. Cupping more than just a quick feel, she made Misa shiver from how unpleasant the situation was. “Wow, pretty good for a demon. Not like my sisters, but, pretty good.” Letting go of Misa, she slapped her butt and retreated further into the pond. “I’ll see you around, boonies girl.”</p><p>“It’s Misa!”</p><p>“Sure, Misa from the boonies!”</p><p>“Just Misa!” Her voice cracked a little as the Mermaid dove under and vanished into the pot.</p><p>Getting out of the water – at least it was warm enough to not freeze – she let out a huge sigh. <em>This… this is a disaster. How am I supposed to introduce myself all wet?</em></p><p>“Are… are you okay?”</p><p>Her nerves having suffered a few blows already, Misa yelped and jumped away, right back towards the pond. Realizing that just short of impact, she felt something big, slightly cool to the touch and also very smooth wrap around her and keep her from falling.</p><p>“S-Sorry… I didn’t want to startle you.”</p><p>Looking properly, Misa found that a kind of reptilian tail was wrapped around her waist. The tail merged into a very cute girl just by the edge of the pond. The first thing that came to mind was; <em>Am I heavy?</em></p><p>The girl, Misa could not place what kind of snake folk she was, visibly struggled to keep Misa afloat, moving her over the water and setting her down. She was panting a little. “S-Sorry… I don’t… exercise a lot.”</p><p>Now that she got a better look at her, the girl was kind of small, for a snake folk anyway. The Lamia and such that she had seen around the city were quite a bit larger. Even including the tail, she was barely any taller – or longer – than Misa was. A very compact snake folk. She wore a very long dress that seemed to be at least three sizes too big for her and it made her look kinda of silly, like she was wearing a huge sack. Her face was framed by short, green hair that was in dire need of cutting the tips, a pair of golden framed glasses sat on her nose and extended back to elongated, thin ears. Her eyes were an entrancing violet with a magical shine to them. She couldn’t really tell if this girl was just lax or in severe need of both fashion and self-care advice.</p><p>Her scaling was a dark purple, the furthest tail end was covered in very light purple plumage. And after glancing down, she could also see that the girl’s hands were covered in dark golden scales and long crimson nails – two of them were broken off.</p><p>“No, uh, it’s my fault. I just got… startled and…”</p><p>“Uhm… are you the new…”</p><p>“Yes.” She answered without thinking and wanted to go drown herself in the pond. “I mean, I’m the aide… I was hired for that.”</p><p>“Oh, that’s nice… we’ve been without one so long…”</p><p>The girl only ever faced Misa very briefly and now she finally remembered what this kind was called; she was a Basilisk, one of the higher beings in society. They were extremely intelligent allegedly. Not that she had ever met or even seen one. But from the look of it, either intelligence varied pretty harshly among their kind or it came at a price. <em>She needs a makeover.</em> “I’m Misa.” <em>I’m just gonna skip my full name… not like anyone is gonna call me that after two days.</em></p><p>The Basilisk girl looked down and blushed. “I-I’m Tria.”</p><p>“You also live here, Tria?”</p><p>“On the second floor. Oh, that is… down. One down. This is… the third floor.” It didn’t seem like this girl got a lot of social interaction.</p><p>“Thank you for saving me from… taking another plunge.”</p><p>“Did you… meet Kris?”</p><p><em>Meet is the wrong term…</em> “Y-Yeah… she’s… pretty forward.”</p><p>“I wish I could be more like her...”</p><p>“No, no, no, that’s fine. You’re fine. Maybe like, one percent more Kris, but at most that!”</p><p>Tria giggled and as she did, her tail tip flipped on the ground a few times. Misa couldn’t help but blush at how cute it was how easily her emotions showed through. “Tria, do you know if Rila is home?”</p><p>“She’s sleeping, I think.”</p><p><em>Great.</em> “Is… she going to be angry if I wake her up? I kind of need to talk to her about working here.”</p><p>“I think it will be fine.” Tria smiled. “I’m… glad. The last aide didn’t like… any snake folks…”</p><p>“I might not know a lot but I’m open-minded!” <em>I think!</em> She paused and started to sweat. <em>Did I just announce myself as stupid?</em></p><p>“You’re funny. I hope we can be close.” Seeing Misa blush at her words, Tria blushed too and they kept going until their heads were both red. “I… I mean… uh… uuuuhhh…” Her voice trailed off and she started forming small bridges with her fingers. She kept slipping off because of the long nails.</p><p>“Ehm… I’ll go meet Rila. I’ll… talk to you later.” <em>Gods! Now I’m gonna be super nervous for meeting anyone else! If they’re all this cute and not crude like Kris, this is gonna be bad for my heart</em>!</p><p>“Ah… uhm… I live in two-one.”</p><p>“Nice to meet you, Tria from two-one.”</p><p>Trotting through the grass at high speed, Misa flapped her lips. <em>A super cute Basilisk and a delinquent Mermaid… just my luck I meet the two weirdest residents here right away. Mermaids are famous enough… well, Basilisks are too, but I never thought I’d meet one! I’ve never seen one even though I’ve been out every day!</em></p><p>Making it to the front entrance, Misa took a deep breath. <em>Sopping wet or not, here goes!</em> Knocking on the door twice, she waited. And waited. Knocking again, a bit louder, she waited again. The third round of knocking was almost aggressive. “Excuse me!”</p><p>“Right, right, coming…” A very annoyed sounding voice came from inside. A few loud steps that scared Misa a bit, then the door swung open to the inside. “What?”</p><p>Misa had never seen a Gargoyle before, causing her mind to stop and analyze what was before her before her mouth would move. The lady before her had granite like skin that seemed in dire need of a bath. She was tall, almost two meters so, and had large wings on her back that drooped down in seeming exhaustion. A tail, with a rocky craggy tip, of about a meter length was hanging to the ground behind her. Horns of about a hand’s length grew out from behind her sharply elongated, Elven like ears. She had glowing, perfectly clear blue crystalline eyes that were drilling Misa’s presence with a questioning and yet tired look. One of her hands laid against the door frame, another was down by her thighs.</p><p>Misa had heard that Gargoyles were closer to beasts than Demons because their limbs were made differently but this lady had feet and hands just like Demons did.</p><p>Against Misa’s expectations, the Gargoyle’s hair was not of granite color but a pearly white, framing a very tired look face and reaching to her shoulders all around. It didn’t take much to realize that she was created with a rather specific preference for large busts. All in all she appeared very domineering.</p><p>The lady, who Misa deduced had to be Rila, wore a crude kind of dress that barely reached her stomach and was upheld only by two thin strings. She recalled that to be some kind of new fashion called a Rank-top, a creation of the Ocelots. It gave her kind of a slutty look that shouted <em>I don’t care anymore</em>. To top that off, the only bottom part she wore was plain, white underwear that looked like it was made for humans.</p><p>“If you’re done staring mind telling me what in the name of Shrinna you want?” Shrinna was the demon-goddess of follies, mistakes, misdeeds and petty revenge.</p><p>“Oh! I’m sorry! Maina sent me and-” Misa felt the breath taken out of her lungs as the Gargoyle lady hugged her and nearly squeezed more than just breath out of her.</p><p>“Finally! Finally! Damn it all to Gehniha, I had given up hope!”</p><p>Coughing and slapping the arm of the Gargoyle, Misa was let go, panting for air. She was bending over to catch her breath.</p><p>“Oh, I’m sorry, I got a little too excited. I’ve had to manage this chaos here by myself for the last few months and let me tell you, it’s worse than Gehniha.” It was a particularly terribly island of extreme heat and extreme cold, poison swamps and deadly creatures that gave even Gargoyles, Golems and Ryu pause when confronted. It was the worst place in all of existence.</p><p>“It’s… it’s okay!” Misa raised her arm to show she was okay.</p><p>“The last aide was a Kakuen and that didn’t go so well.”</p><p>“Uhm… full disclosure… Maina is my cousin and… she kinda pitched this as being a live-in scenario where I just… you know, satisfy everyone’s sexual needs.”</p><p>“Of course <b>she</b>’d focus on that. That’s definitely part of it, but your job is basically helping me out manage this place. Cleaning up, helping everyone out with personal stuff, sex. But primarily it’s about working to give everyone balance.”</p><p>“Balance?”</p><p>“Yeah. Like… I know I’m a bit late on this but <b>why</b> are you so wet?”</p><p>“I… kinda ran into Kris already. Would be even wetter if Tria hadn’t saved me.”</p><p>“Go figure Kris is causing trouble and you’re not even settled in. Well, better get used to that.”</p><p>“Eh?”</p><p>“This place is one troublemaker after another.”</p><p>“… Is that why the last aide quit?”</p><p>“Why the last <b>seven</b> of them quit.”</p><p>“Seven?!”</p><p>“I hope <b>you</b> do better than them.”</p><p>“I’ll… try.”</p><p>“Anyway, let’s get you to your room then.”</p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p>“You didn’t bring your luggage?”</p><p>“I’ll do that right after!”</p><p>“Fine with me.” Turning around, she gestured for Misa to follow her.</p><p>The interior of the house was not as confusing as she expected. A singular large hallway was going through it from the entrance – large enough for two Lamia to pass each other at least, but an Oni or Ogre would have been miserable. To the left was one rather large room, to the right another. “At the end of the hall is the communal bathroom for this floor. You need to write down your name for a time slot by the door for bathing. There’s two more rooms down there, too. I’ll introduce everyone later. I live there, in Three-Two. On the other side, Three-One, lives Siaka, she’s a Jinko.”</p><p>Past the first set of rooms was a staircase that lead up. The steps were separated into three types – to the left, normal sized steps that one could find anywhere Demons, Humans or similar folks lived. In the center were much larger, taller steps that seemed to be made for folks with larger extremities. To the right was just a smooth ramp that was no doubt made for snake folk.</p><p>The second floor, or the fourth depending on how one looked at it, was built the exact same way as the first, with four rooms and a bathroom at the end. “You’re in the room in the back, right side, four-four. There’s only a bed and an empty wardrobe in there. I specifically was only gonna hire some medium size folk so I kept it as is after the last aide quit.”</p><p>“You were talking about balance earlier.”</p><p>“You met Tria you said?”</p><p>“Yes. A very cute Basilisk.” <em>I hope it’s okay to call her cute.</em></p><p>“Cute? Well, I guess… you noticed she’s not great at-”</p><p>“Taking care of herself?” <em>Oh.</em></p><p>“Yep. You get it. I can see it on your face.”</p><p>“So it’s not just sex and work but also… caring for Tria?”</p><p>“It’s not just Tria who needs some looking after.”</p><p>“It’s not everyone, is it?”</p><p>“Not that bad, no. Kris is self-sufficient but hell does that girl have a foul mouth on her.”</p><p>“I noticed.”</p><p>“Don’t let her get to you.”</p><p>“So who else lives here?”</p><p>“Not everyone is here and honestly-” The Gargoyle yawned and revealed a wet looking, reddish kind of stone in her mouth that was no doubt her tongue. Misa kinda of fantasized about this tall, powerful lady right there. “You’re soaking wet, I’m tired to death and a bunch of them are out.”</p><p>“Oh… okay. Should I start working on cleaning up then?”</p><p>“Start by getting your luggage. Almost everyone is here in the evening, so we’ll do introductions then.”</p><p>“Right, right.”</p><p>“Maina still up to her usual?”</p><p>“You mean non-stop crazed sex with someone like a Jubjub?” Misa’s eyes went dead for a second.</p><p>“Now that sounds like her.”</p><p>“If… If I can ask, how do you-”</p><p>“Know her?” The Gargoyle smirked. “How do you <b>think</b> I know her?”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>“She’s great in bed but going down to the labyrinth is such a drag. So I put word out among the brothels we’re looking for a live-in that’s gonna have to handle more than just sex but the only ones who showed up couldn’t handle the non-sex parts at all.”</p><p>“I… see…”</p><p>“How’s your experience?”</p><p>“With?”</p><p>“Wow, that answer kinda speaks for itself there. Well, somebody is better than nobody, so try your best.”</p><p>“Uh… I will?”</p><p>The Gargoyle scratched her neck and it made a strange sound. Not quite like stone on stone more like like wet clay being rubbed against stone. As she thought that, it did occur to her that regular stone would definitely not be able to move like this Gargoyle lady did. “You know, I don’t want you running off after two days, so for now, try to not overwork yourself. You work for me, not the others, so if they have a problem with you, they know it’ll do them no good to complain to me. We have a few real lewd ones here, don’t let them bully you into sex when you can’t handle any more.”</p><p>“Right…”</p><p>“Oh, and I don’t know your name yet. I’m Rila. Rila the Gargoyle.”</p><p>“I’m Misa. Misa the Demon.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Lore Bonus 1 - Demon & Succubus</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Lore Entries for the Demon folk and the Succubus folk.</p><p>The __ before a name are for quick CTRL+F searching!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>__Demon</b>
</p>
<hr/><p>One of the major population races alongside the humans, Harpies, Lamias and such, Demons make up more than 80% of the population of the Demonic Realm. They have blue skin, black sclera, horns that extend from just above their pointy and elongated ears, large leathery wings extending from just above their hips, as well as a long black leathery tail that is highly versatile treated like a third arm.</p><p>As a race, their height is diverse, ranging from 140cm to 210cm, their life expectancy ranges from 90 to 450 years and even wing span, tail length, hair color, horn color and gradient of skin color vary greatly from individual to individual.</p><p>While in the past considered one of the magical races, scholars have rectified this mistake and demonic is merely one of several types of racial categorization now. The demonic realm is home to over 4 million demons, occupying a space as large as the nature lands just to the north, with businesses importing and exporting all matters of goods.</p><p>Despite appearances and millennia of bad reputation, Demon culture differs scarcely little from that of humans. They live in houses, most of them in moderate ones at best, and there is no extravagant decadence or enslavement of non-demonic races. Many of them work typical days of seven in the morning till nine in the evening, they pay taxes, have favorite foods such as the rare Hellfire Gehenna Mushroom, their own theaters and many other non-demonic races commute to work there or simply live in the demonic realm.</p><p>Demons, other than their appearance, are too great in number to make sweeping generalizations about their nature. While there exist many preconceptions about them, none apply universally. Being a Demon does not even equate to a life of hating the gods. Many Demons worship a number of gods, most popular among them being the Goddess of Fine Cuisine, Garcilcina. While most Demons live in the Demonic realm, just as most Witches and Sorceresses live in the Magical Realm, more than 10,000 Demons live abroad in various other realms such as the common realm, the Nature Lands, the Magical realm, with a select few even fulfilling emissary duties in the divine realm.</p><p>Able to use their tail to great effect, a Demon is by nature no more or less talented at a given task than humans. Although many old bloodlines are able to cast magical spells, the absolute vast majority of Demons cannot compare to even a Witch that’s gone through the first two years of training.</p><p>Demon preferences in romantic partners are as diverse as it comes, with some liking humans, other being into Lamia-folk, some preferring the Foxes, others aiming only for Harpy-folk and so on and so forth. As one of the most well represented races, many Demons have seats on councils to represent the interests of the demonic realm and all races associated with such.</p><p>Despite what many races used to think, Demons are not innately evil. The demonic realm houses several charitable foundations that support demonic or demon-adjacent races in their efforts to establish business, housing or a life abroad. Many find great fulfillment in even mundane work, defying the preconception that Demons are arrogant beings. As one of the progenitor races, Demon interests are branched out as far as one can imagine.</p><p>One aspect of life that most Demons share in is their love for fashion – the demonic realm is the mortal world’s hotbed in pursuit of the latest and best fashion, with a sizable portion of Demons creating fashion for any number of races. The famous Lady Knivel and her Studio Atiliers are considered the world’s forerunners in all of fashion, with even the gods lining up on mortal coil themselves whenever a new collection is released.</p><p>There are no races that Demons universally dislike or prefer. Many Demon palates take time to adjust to foods of realms abroad and the much exported Gehenna Pepper is a must have for many Demons living outside the demonic realm as a seasoning of choice.</p><p>Able to be found in all flights of life, from Adventurer on the road with human companions to Witch serving in a decade long experiment as the head research institute of magic in Pentraygra, the capital of the magic realm, there exist nay a profession that no Demon has ever touched before.</p><p>Many Demons take a 200 weeks training session in their youth, teaching them everything from how to file down horns and nails, to how to best compress their wings against their body for travel, including even a crash course on social conventional standards abroad, such as greeting other races with a smile instead of quietly nodding at them.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>__Succubus</b>
  <b></b>
</p>
<hr/><p>One of the most famous races, the Succubus is a type of demon that was classified into its own race in ages past. Humanoid in appearance, Succubi have long leathery tails with a heart sharped end point, hip joint adjacent leathery wings and large coiled horns protruding from the sides of their forehead.</p><p>Adjacent to the demons, Succubi come in many shapes and heights, but universally are very long lived, some of them reaching 500 years old. Their physical body is malleable through their unique form of magic and they have been likened to Doppelgangers for this. They can adjust their height to some degree, their weight and even hair color, eye color, voice pitch, breast and butt size and many other factors to match their partner’s taste.</p><p>A Succubus’ diet consists of life energy drained from living beings during bodily contact. Unlike old legends, a Succubus is in no way limited to human males or even humans in general. Any living race is capable of emitting the kind of life energy that a Succubus drains from them. In modern times, a young Succubus goes through 20 years of professional training as soon as they turn ten years old in the demon capital at the world’s largest brothel, the Aiffair. During this time a Succubus is taught exactly how to feel out an individual’s life energy and how much can be taken before any noticeable damage incurs, covering every common race and uncommon race in detail in practice.</p><p>A Succubus develops slowly and reaches full maturity only after about 60 years, after which all their demonic abilities have fully formed and reached their peak. Any grown Succubus is typically an experienced professional when it comes to sex and no more a danger than anyone else. They are incredibly popular as sex workers and it is only the Succubus race that has special government permits to work as such. Many establishments fudge this rule by letting other races claim significant Succubus inheritance, requiring them to feed in a similar way. While in theory this happens to be the case every so often, more than 80% of all sex workers use this excuse. Every conceivable government has long since given up on trying to crush this rampant abuse of their exemption ruling.</p><p>Socially, a Succubus typically associates most with their own kind and everyone else that works with them. Much like Demons or Humans, Succubi come in too many variations to offer typical generalization. One thing that all of them have in common is that they practice a clear separation of work and private life. A Succubus that does not work in a brothel will often be in a permanent partnership with one of the more vigorous races to cover their need for life energy. In many cases, a Succubus is the center of relationships involving multiple individuals.</p><p>Professionally, the Succubus is primarily a sex worker, for reasons of convenient, pleasure and skill. No race in all the realms can match a Succubus in sheer skill in bed and this is especially prevalent in matters between non-human races as most of their training concerns those and they are typically exclusively female. While some Succubi work other jobs, one is seldom wrong when assuming they are a sex worker. While in the past this used to be a looked down upon business, sex work has been completely revolutionized since and is a respectable business like any other now. Any brothel that gets hold of a Succubus typically charges the most of her services, calling her a courtesan and often having her mentor the other workers for additional payment.</p><p>As any Succubus must undergo the training in the Demon capital city, incidents during which a Succubus drains too much life energy are extremely rare – in the last five years as of this report, only two cases were recorded and in both cases the customer paid for an illegally offered ‘near death’ experience course.</p><p>Although a Succubus has to sustain herself with life energy, they are fully able to eat and digest most regular foods, albeit they are unable to eat or digest apples. The concrete cause of this is unknown and very few Succubi are willing to assist in tests regarding such as they will experience intense stomach cramps, high fevers, vomiting, loss of consciousness and partial memory loss of the event.</p><p>Romantically, the Succubus is a difficult to court individual as their very profession, typically, means that there are many other suitors. Although this is the case, a Succubus can fall in love like any other being. Many a love is doomed as their desired partner is one of the races that cannot sustain a Succubus and they are fully aware of the mental burden it would put on a partner if they were to continue as a sex worker. For this reason, a Succubus typically aims for more than one partner or seeks out individuals of races with power lives that can sustain a Succubus by themselves. A Succubus is usually very affectionate and overwhelmingly ready to compensate as their very love comes at a price they cannot change.</p><p>Despite past and bygone views of their profession and nature, the Succubi of today are well liked members of society. It is however considered extremely poor taste and will often result in being banned from the entire sex work district if one were to make advances towards a Succubus that is not working or treat her like she was in fact working. Especially sex workers of other races that work and learn from the Succubus in question are likely to be very pissed off as a Succubus often functions like a mentor and lady of the house for any one brothel.</p><p>While a Succubus is able to use quite a few forms of demonic abilities, all of them come at the price of draining life energy either from herself or her target. As such, most of them require previous consent from the customer or partner and a few are outlawed completely. Some of these abilities include the ability to exude powerful pheromones that cause intense arousal in every living race, the ability to draw out reserve life energy to keep a target going in bed, the ability to hypnotize a sexually aroused target, the ability to plant suggestion in a sexually motivated dream, and several others. Few Succubi rely on these abilities in modern times and instead focus on perfecting their skill.</p><p>Albeit exceptions exist, Succubi are predominantly interested in females, with many of them to great efforts to maintain a perfect appearance. Naturally a Succubus has long finger nails that grow back as they absorb life energy and so a Succubus typically spends more than an hour each day just filing down nails on multiple occasions. Many perform tail exercises as well as requests for tail usage has spiked in recent years. Similarly, wing exercises are necessary to prevent atrophy of the appendages which in prolonged state can cause severe sickness.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Demon Visual Design based on<br/>http://kurobine.sakura.ne.jp/mamonogirllover/zukan/demon/page.shtml</p><p>Succubus Visual Design based on<br/>http://kurobine.sakura.ne.jp/mamonogirllover/zukan/succubus/page.shtml</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Spotted Chaos</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Misa has a little mishap and meets someone new; the resident of Four-Two.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>Ow!</em> She touched the rather large bump on the back of her head and twitched. Demons were a fairly sturdy folk, resistant to heat and cold more so than dwarves and also physically able, albeit a far cry from the truly physical ones like the Oni. Nothing short of a galleon falling on them would cause real harm. <em>What happened?</em></p><p>Misa sat in what she recognized as her own room. For that matter, her belongings were, inside a large brown dresscase, right there by her bed. The case was open and it looked like a lot of stuff had been hastily shoved inside.</p><p>The room was dimly lit by a candle on the night stand and a small lightning powered bulb hanging from the ceiling with a large black cord. Most Demons were able to also see in the dark but it was a heavily atrophied skill since the electrical revolution.</p><p>Her head was killing her. <em>Think back, Misa. You talked to… what was it… Rila. The Gargoyle that owns this place. And you went back to the hotel to grab your things so you can get introduced to everyone. And then… then… </em>Giving up on remembering for the moment, she felt the need to visit another room.</p><p>Getting out of bed, she was staggering a little, her ears ringing slightly, she touched the bump again and twitched even more than before. <em>Seriously, this is how I start my life here?</em></p><p>Opening the door, she looked at a hallway that was just slightly lit. It was just from the corner of her eye that she saw a strongly purple tail vanish down the stairs. Turning towards the bathroom, Misa made the short walk, grabbed the knob, turned and entered. A rather pungent smell reminiscent of moldy bread hit her.<em> Someone just used it, ugh…</em> Hurrying to the large window to her right, she opened it up.</p><p>The bathroom was rather large – much larger than the one at home. Granted, her room here was also at least twice the size of the room back home, but that was probably because it was made to accommodate even larger folks. Of course, in her home, everything was made in Demon size.</p><p>She was at first a little confused by the toilet. It was the in-the-ground version that she had first encountered in some of the cheaper hotels around Minais Sho, different from the chair-like ones back home. But in addition to that, a chair version was right next to it, although seemingly not hooked up to plumping. The idea of living <b>without</b> plumbing was so alien to her that when she listened to her mothers talk about those times, she always fell into disbelief.</p><p>To the <b>other</b> side of the toilet was yet another thing – a kind of metal rail construct. It took her more than just a few seconds to figure out what was going on here. <em>Oh. Access for other folks. But…</em> Looking around the chair like toilet, she found a strange metal lever by the ground that didn’t seem connected to plumping. Pushing it over, she heard a loud snapping sound and a retractable pipe shot out of the wall. And then she figured out what this was all about. Pushing the lever back, it was so large that she could do it with either her feet or hands easily, she returned it to the previous position. While doing so she noticed indentations in the ground just to both sides of the toilet.</p><p>After a few attempts, she moved the chair toilet over, got it to line up – and pushed the lever that was attached to the chair toilet itself, that then made a snapping sound and wouldn’t budge anymore.</p><p>
  <em>So it’s like that. This is probably for folks similar to humans. The one in the ground is for bigger folks like… no, not an Ogre. Hm… maybe a Blue Oni? They’re not that big. But they wouldn’t fit on the chair version. And by making this movable and making the levers big, everyone can move in the version they need. But what’s the rail for? Uhhh, later!</em>
</p><p>Taking care of business – to her surprise the toilet sprayed her butt with water! – she turned to the sink to wash her hands. It was a surprisingly large but still standard sized sink. As she thought about it, that was to be expected. Unlike general body size and other such specific parts, arms and hands didn’t vary in size that much. It was mostly the winged folks that would need a much bigger sink and those likely had other means to stay clean.</p><p>Now that she was free of a rather urgent need, she took a closer look. The bathtub was more than just big. It took up almost a quarter of the room, left and in the back from the entrance, while the toilet was to the right back corner and the sink was right left of the entrance. A number of large wooden baskets were to the right, and judging by the slight but ever present smell of sweat in the room, she could guess what was in there.</p><p><em>This is so big even a Lamia… or something bigger than a Lamia could bathe here.</em> Noticing a small iron faucet in the wall <b>next</b> to the sink, with a strange curvy symbol engraved above it, she turned it without thinking. The faucet then dispensed hot air and Misa was blown away by the sheer ingenuity of using rune magic like that. <em>Witches are really something amazing.</em></p><p>The floor was very fine wooden paneling with small grids of metal here and there that seemed related to plumbing. <em>Probably to make water from the tub not soak into the wood?</em> Turning around in a hurry, an epiphany hit her. <em>Lamias! That metal grid! Toilet style three! That’s gotta be for them… I always wondered how they used a toilet. Where even… maybe I shouldn’t think about this too much for now. Come to think of it, how do Mermaids… no, not thinking about that either.</em></p><p>Someone opened the door and then quickly slammed it close when they saw the bathroom was in use. “Ah, I’m done, just, uh, looking how it all works here.” Misa felt horribly embarrassed to admit that she had never seen what was likely just an all access bathroom. She really was a bumpkin.</p><p>“Oh, is that… so…” The woman that stepped in had spot marked animal legs and arms, long ponytailed blonde hair and large yellow-and-black ears on top of her head. Her arms were covered in fur almost all the way from the shoulder down, with her hands being large paw likes, resembling a human hand with one finger short but much larger.</p><p>A thin, striped tail was showing from her behind. Her legs became fur covered halfway down her thigh and she wore elegant looking black boots that made her feet look a bit smaller than her hands. <em>I’ve never seen someone like her before.</em> <em>What kind of folk is she?</em></p><p>Her skin was a very dark brown, darker still than those who would work in the sun every day, and she exuded a kind of alluring aroma that was giving Misa a slight tingle in her mouth. The fur coated woman’s chest was a bit smaller than Misa’s own and she wore a single white shirt that was unbuttoned three out of five, revealing quite a bit of cleavage. She also wore a pleated skirt that reached just short of where the fur on her legs started. The woman held in one hand a large brown bag that had at least eight different metal shafts poking out from beneath the cover.</p><p>“Uhm…” The woman was visibly uncomfortable just looking at Misa, like she was in pain and just waiting for her to leave.</p><p>“Sorry, sorry, I’ll get out!” Hurrying past the woman, who stepped back from the door to make way, Misa felt terrible. <em>How can I not even know what she is? I really should have studied more… but it was always </em><em><b>so</b></em><em> boring… </em></p><p>Going down the corridor to the stairs, Misa thought that it would be best to check in with Rila. Sudden memory loss and a bump didn’t really speak of a great start to things.</p><p>The third floor – she was still struggling with the idea that there was subterranean floors – was quiet and she looked between the two doors towards the front of the building. <em>Okay… I think Rila was in three-two?</em> Knocking on the thick wooden door twice, Misa waited and felt her nervousness rise up like one of those water pressure explosion things… a geyser! Right!</p><p>A voice came from inside as heavy footsteps approved. “I swear, Yin, if this is <b>another</b> complaint about Fea and her damn guitar, I am going to-” The door opened and Misa’s face flushed red.</p><p>Rila was facing her, the stone hair kind of messily hanging in her face, her body covered in expensive looking black lingerie that was adorned with white furs and really accentuate her figure.</p><p>“Oh, you’re up. Feeling okay?” Rila showed obvious concern and leaned to the side, as if she was trying to see past Misa.</p><p>“Y-Yeah… uh… well. About that… I just kind of woke up in my bed and can’t remember a thing from after getting my things-”</p><p>“Well, <b>that’s</b> no surprise. Come in.” Turning around, Rila used her tail to open the door further and walked into a room was just covered top to bottom in furs and soft looking things. Carpets overlapping with carpets, made of fur and other soft materials, covering the entire ground. To her immediate left, shelves filled with pillows. She had barely stepped inside when a dozen perfumes hit her nostrils and she felt overwhelmed. <em>W-Wow… it kinda hurts.</em> The entire left wall was covered in shelves, wardrobes and various other containers, all made from wood. At the far back was a gigantic wooden basket of sorts – a large, round, wooden construct that was like a washing bin for the most oversized gigantic folks ever. And it was filled to the brim with pillows over pillows.</p><p>To the right of that mountain of pillows, in the far corner, was a large window, a chair of wood that looked like it would break immediately if Rila sat on it, a small table with two thick books on it, and a large pitcher filled with water. Going from there, the wall to the right was again home to two book shelves and then erotic paper prints of various other folks pinned to the walls. Misa felt her heart beat faster just looking at that with a glance. Just right of the door was a small kitchen – or at least Misa <b>thought</b> it had to be a kitchen. A large cubic mechanic thing that had a metallic surface and four round, elevated spots, topped by a metal grid. Two large pots were placed on that grid. The kitchen came complete with an iron looking box just beneath the erotic prints and Misa surmised that had to be the storage box. <em>But why iron?</em></p><p>The center of the room was home to a larger, round table that had two chairs to it, filled with dishes that hadn’t been washed yet, three more books, a number of dirty cutlery and two dirty glasses. <em>What a sloppy… don’t say anything, Misa. That’s your boss.</em></p><p>“Long story short, here’s what happened. You were on your way back and actually just outside – when Milala and Siaka got into another argument. They were getting into it just outside right when you came back. I wasn’t there to see <b>exactly</b> what happened, but basically those two slimeheads delivered a big hit to your head. On the upside, seeing you collapsed on the ground dampened their spirits a bit. Wanna sit?” Rila offered the rather perplexed Misa a seat at the bigger table. “Lemme get you something. Your head’s still ringing right? Siaka packs a punch.”</p><p>“Uhm… who are Siaka and Milala?” Misa drunkenly walked towards the table, grabbed a chair, pulled and nearly tore her arms out. <em>What in the name of-! </em>Pulling as hard as she could – and Demons were not weak – she barely could get it to move maybe a single tip.</p><p>“Oh, my bad.” Standing by the bookshelves, Rila reached for the chair’s back with her tail, slid it through an opening at the top, and pulled it rather effortlessly just far enough away for Misa to sit down. “Gargoyle chairs.”</p><p>“Why… why are they so heavy?” Misa was kind of feeling her body get more awake from that sudden exercise.</p><p>“What do you think would happen if a Gargoyle sat on a regular chair?”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>“So Dwarves came up with this. Drill holes through wooden parts, fill them with steel, assemble, sell to Gargoyles. That’s how they make Ogre chairs and the likes too, you know?”</p><p>Sitting down, Misa couldn’t tell the difference at all. <em>These things could double as weapons…</em> “So… Siaka and Milala?”</p><p>“Siaka’s the Jinko in Three-One. Milala’s the Ocelot in Four-Two. They don’t get along at all.”</p><p>
  <em>How… how do I ask what’s a Jinko and Ocelot? I might… or might not… have learned about them in school.</em>
</p><p>“Wow.”</p><p>“Wh-What?”</p><p>“Your face is all <em>What’s an Ocelot</em>. I figured you’d need <b>some </b>explaining on the rare folks but this is just a little sad. Gimme a moment.” Looking through her bookshelf, exposing her attractive back, Rila handled holding books by balancing them on the top of her tail that was flattened to the shape of a spear tip – without the sharp tip. It was more like an elongated rectangle.</p><p>“Here.” Holding a book in her hand and balancing four of them on her tail, she held it out to Misa who was a little slow to get out of the chair.</p><p>“What’s this?”</p><p>“You can read, right?”</p><p>“Of course…” Misa felt a little humiliated by the question. Looking at the book in question, the title read <em>Introduction to Feline and Canine Ladies</em>. “It also covers folks like the Sphinx, Anubis and such, but you should probably at least read about the Ocelot and Jinko. They’re the only one of that type we got here.”</p><p>“Oh. Oh!” Misa suddenly remembered something. “Wasn’t I supposed to meet everyone today?!”</p><p>“For obvious reasons we skipped that. Well I told everyone but Filte that the Demon girl in the house is the new aide.”</p><p>“Filte?”</p><p>“Up in Six-One.” Rila paused and snorted. “You’ll figure it out.”</p><p>“Eh? Figure what out?”</p><p>Putting the books back, Rila pulled out a glass bottle of a dark, golden-brown brew from behind another set of books. “Want a drink? Might be a little strong for you though.”</p><p>“Ah, no, thank you.”</p><p>“Sex then?”</p><p>Misa stiffened up harder than any Gargoyle ever did. “H-Huh?”</p><p>Rila snorted. “What a reaction. Relax, I won’t push you on your first night here. But you do know that when someone asks you to, unless you have a really good reason to say no, turning them down is not gonna work out for you here, right?”</p><p>“Uh… I… understand.”</p><p>“Well, I doubt anyone here will force you into it if you look like you might cry. Well, Zeri maybe. She could be into that. Just keep in mind that this position includes sexual services. The pay is good though and you get to live here rent free so there’s no arguing this.”</p><p>“Yeah… yeah I get that.”</p><p>“Good.” Rila pulled out a cork from the bottle, looked for a clean glass and then just drank from the bottle. “Phuaaaa! I love this stuff. You sure you’re feeling okay? Yin said you’re not seriously hurt but you should still take it easy for tonight.”</p><p>“I will. Thank you for worrying.”</p><p>“Might not look that way to you, but I really want this to work out. We really need someone to handle the house.”</p><p>“Gonna do my best.”</p><p>“That’s the spirit.” Rila paused, put the bottle to her lips and then refrained from drinking. “Actually, you know what, go talk to Milala. She’s been getting into fights with Siaka almost on the daily because she’s been stressed worse than a Doppel in a mirror house.”</p><p>“But I haven’t-”</p><p>“Just be a decent person and it’ll work itself out. You can reference the book later.”</p><p>“Is that really gonna be okay? What if I say something really irresponsible?”</p><p>“Then she’ll lick your face.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“I’m not kidding.”</p><p>“Uh…?”</p><p>“You’ll see. Now, go.”</p><p>“But-”</p><p>“That wasn’t up for debate.”</p><p><em>She’s nice but also kinda… really irresponsibly bossy?</em> Getting out of the chair, Misa instinctively tried to push it back and it was like trying to move a boulder. <em>By Calam, what does this thing weight?</em>! Humiliated again, Misa stepped away. “Good night.”</p><p>“Same to you.” Rila was already on the way to the smaller table, balancing a book on her tail, when Misa left the room.</p><p>Back in the hallway, she heard something to her right, looked and only saw a deep purple tail vanish around the corner in a hurry. <em>Is someone watching me? Is that Tria? But she wouldn’t just hide, would she?</em> Looking at the book in her hands, she flipped it open and very slowly walked towards the stairs. <em>Anubis, Cheshire Cat… what in Calam is a Cheshire Cat? Hakutaku… Kikimora… oh here we go, Jinko… no wait, Jinko was Siaka. I’m supposed to talk to Milala. Ocelot, Ocelot…</em> Finding the entry, it was accompanied with a penciled printed sketch of seemingly a random Ocelot that looked pretty similar but had much shorter hair and was wielding a large club. <em>Wow, she looks kind of violent…</em></p><p>Reading the start of the entry, Misa hit her foot on the corner and recoiled in pain, leaning against the wall with her shoulder, closing the book shut and raising the injured foot. “Shit, shit, shit!!” The pain was worse than the bump on her head.</p><p>Recovering after a minute or so of cursing and standing on one leg, Misa dragged herself upstairs. <em>She said… uh… Four-two, was it?</em> Misa was, of course, not stupid, but she suddenly had to remember a <b>lot</b> of new things in a situation that was way outside her typical comfort levels.</p><p>Entering her own room first and leaving the book there – she didn’t want to look like a super country bumpkin carrying that around – she went past the stairs. Four-two was on the eastern side of the building, like her own room, Four-Four. Taking a deep breath and making her nervousness worse, she knocked.</p><p>“Who’s this?” The voice from inside was the same as the one of the lady she had run into at the bathroom.</p><p><em>Oh, she was Milala. Of course. Why didn’t I realize that immediately with the sketch? </em>“It’s Misa. The Demon that’s started here today. I’m… wondering if I could come in?”</p><p>The door opened and a very stressed out looking Ocelot greeted her – the unbuttoned shirt had a large stain on it now above the chest and her boots were off. The skirt was partially unzipped too and a very thin metal hook was dangling from the zipper itself. “You sure?”</p><p>“Ah, I don’t hold the incident against you or anything.”</p><p>Milala just let out a very quiet mumble and then stepped aside to let Misa into her room.</p><p>It was chaos. To her left was just a huge pile of discarded clothing and there was no telling what originally belonged in that place. A table was next, surrounded by two chairs, a white drink having been spilled on the table. Further ahead was a bed that was somewhat unusual. The frame was too high for the mattress inside, giving it a shape like a box without a lid. The insides of the bed were filled with numerous blankets that were all in a disastrous state of being crumpled up and likely in need of a wash.</p><p>Next to the bed was something that seemed like an extension of the wall itself – a wooden block that was scratched all over and had metal plates fastened to it towards the top and bottom. In the right back corner was the kitchen – two large storage boxes and just dirty pots, pans and dishes as far as Misa could see. Next to the kitchen, the front two-thirds of the wall, was covered by wardrobes and shelves. The former open and almost empty, the latter housing a tremendous amount of unsorted paper documents, all of them with holes punched through their upper left corner. In the corner behind the door was a smaller shelf, housing boxes with dozens of metal pieces, hooks to both ends, that came in various lengths and shapes.</p><p>The room smelled. It stunk. And so did Milala. In the center of the room was the worst offender of it all. A large, wooden construct that resembled a tree and had a platform at the top, near the ceiling. And it was large enough for Milala to have fit onto there. The truly disgusting aspect of it was that whatever it had been made of originally, it was now covered in endless amounts of discarded hairs and it was gross to just look at.</p><p>Misa was so shocked by this horrid sight that she just stopped, her body unwilling to let her go any further into this garbage dump. “When… was the last time you cleaned?”</p><p>“I try to clean up during Tidecall.”</p><p><em>That’s just once every ten days! </em>“What about Bloomrise and Bloomfall?”</p><p>“I gotta do shopping and unwind at <b>some</b> point.”</p><p>“For two days?!”</p><p>“Takes time to do that all by myself. Especially finding a nice brothel.”</p><p>“What’s your cycle like?”</p><p>“Work for four days from Tilra to Growthra, then relax on Bloomrise and Bloomfall. Back to work on Pondra through Lakera, and try to clean up during Tidecall.”</p><p><em>Well that seems kind of normal… but how did… did <b>this</b> happen? Even when I was an adolescent I didn’t let my room turn into this! Even Mom would have killed me.</em> Taking a loud, energetic and deep breath, Misa worked up some determination. “This is no way to be living. Go sit, I’ll start with the kitchen.”</p><p>“Start what?”</p><p>“Clean up! I’m not walking out of this room until it’s become livable again!”</p><p>“That… that’d be great.” Milala sighed and looked like someone had taken a huge burden off her back. “I’m Milala. Milala Balalasasa. And… I’m sorry about earlier. You got kind of caught up in my fight with Siaka.”</p><p>“No wonder you’re stressed out living like this!” Misa could stand a reasonable amount of chaos and dirt but this was way over her threshold. Turning the kitchen faucet, she deftly collected all the dirty cooking ware, dishes and cutlery, put it all into the sink, grabbed the brand new looking sponge that was rather huge and started scrubbing. “Just what is your work like that it’s come to this?”</p><p>“I work as an agent for an import-export business down in Freesight. Control toll stamps, issue documents, negotiate prices, control deliveries, order things, handle disputes. It’s incredibly consuming and taxing work!” The way Milala said it made it sound like there was nothing more fulfilling than a job like that. Misa had known her mother to be a workaholic but even she knew not to let the house turn into a garbage heap. Or her mom would have had some very strong words for her mother.</p><p>“How long do you work?”</p><p>“I just told you.”</p><p>“No, I mean each day.”</p><p>“About fourteen hours.”</p><p>“Fourteen?!”</p><p>“For us Ocelot, that is normal.”</p><p>“E-Eh, I knew that of course.”</p><p>“It’s fine if you didn’t know. Rila said that you’re from way out in the boonies. I do wonder what work is like out there. Any brutal jobs that makes you work till you drop?!” She sounded excited over getting to ask that question.</p><p>“Is it really normal for Ocelots to love working that much?”</p><p>“Hm, for us, work is life.”</p><p>“Don’t you do anything for fun?”</p><p>“For us, work is fun.”</p><p>“That’s so weird to think about.”</p><p>“It’s weird for us to look at folks like the Oni that only work to party.”</p><p>“Ah, sorry if I said something insensitive.”</p><p>“I’ve heard that same line of thought thousands of times.”</p><p>Scrubbing a pan clean, Misa sighed. “Is all of this because there’s been no aide to help out?”</p><p>“Maybe.” Milala scratched at her right arm with her left. Misa only caught a glance of her expression but there was distinct discomfort in it.</p><p>“Well if it’s just cleaning and such I can definitely handle that.”</p><p>“Pity you’re a Demon.”</p><p>“Uh… why?”</p><p>“Oh, don’t get me wrong. Demons are attractive. But for Cougaring, you’re not interesting. Demons are way too common.”</p><p>“Couga… ring?”</p><p>“I gotta start there? Uh, let’s see… for us Ocelot, merit is everything. Work creates merit, so work is what drives us. But of course, we also have our own concepts of beauty and pride. For us, the more difficult, the more resistant to our advances someone is, the greater the accomplishment in being able to seduce them. It’s a sport. Seek out the rarest folk, seduce them and show your success off to the other Ocelots. It raises your worth among your peers. Right at the top of the list is stuff like Koujou, a Valkyrie couple, Cupids. You know, the kind of folks that you need a miracle to seduce.”</p><p><em>I wouldn’t know anything like that at all. What even is a Koujou?</em> “That’s… for me that’s a bit sad. What about love?”</p><p>“That’s not really an uncommon sentiment even among many Ocelots, you know? I’m like that. Sure, I want to show off being good at cougaring, but honestly I’m not very interested in actually seducing anyone. So I’d just hire someone to pretend.”</p><p>“Pretend?!”</p><p>“Don’t sound so surprised, a <b>lot</b> of us do that. My older sister paid a fortune to have this really snarky Cheshire Cat pretend to be her girlfriend after being seduced. My family was over Kag Mia for it.”</p><p>“Ocelot culture isn’t anything like Demon culture...”</p><p>“Of course it isn’t. Everyone has their own culture.”</p><p>“And Demons are no good?”</p><p>“You’re really cute but even so, cute Demons are not that hard to find. There’s also just a lot of Demons out there, so finding one that would pretend or just be seduced by me isn’t hard. So their value for cougaring is low. The harder it is, the more valuable.”</p><p>“What about other Ocelots?”</p><p>“Lowest value. Any Ocelot can seduce another one. Maybe just pay a cousin or sister to pretend.”</p><p>“A sister?”</p><p>“Pretend. I wouldn’t sleep with my sister.”</p><p>“Do you have a big family?”</p><p>“Four sisters, I’m the youngest.”</p><p>“I’m sorry I don’t know anything about Ocelots.”</p><p>“That’s fine. Just ask me if you want to know.”</p><p>“What’s… that for?” With slightly pruned hands, Misa pointed at the tree like construct.</p><p>“It’s a tree. You don’t have trees where you come from?”</p><p>“We do! That’s not what I mean!”</p><p>“Ah, I see. Long ago, we Ocelots lived in trees, sort of. At least we slept in them. Or so history class tells us. We do feel the instinct to climb trees or tall structures sometimes and just take a nap up there. Obviously we can’t do that in public so everyone gets one of these.”</p><p>“Why… is it full of hair?”</p><p>Milala’s voice got quieter. “It… feels good to rub my arms and legs against it when I lie on the top.”</p><p>“Excuse the question but are Ocelots related to Nekomatas?”</p><p>“The same way the Succubus is related to Demons – probably yes, way far back.”</p><p>“I have a cousin that’s a Succubus. She works down in the Freesight.”</p><p>“For the record, Succubus is even lower in the ranking than a Demon.”</p><p>“That’s not what I was getting at.” Finishing <b>half</b> of the kitchen clean up, Misa had to ask. “Why’s every dish and pot got a hole by the edge?”</p><p>“Our hands are a bit less agile than yours. So we use hooks.”</p><p>“Hooks?”</p><p>“Extend a claw to grip a hook, then connect the hook to the object and handle it that way. Since the holes of things can be fragile and claws come in difference sizes, we can’t just handle objects directly. Stuff would break or we’d not get it to fit. But with hooks, we can just use a right combination of them. I handle all my paperwork like that.”</p><p>“Doesn’t that take a really long time?” Misa heard Milala get up and join her in the kitchen. “Uhm…?”</p><p>“Look.” Demonstrating with blinding speed, Milala pulled double ended hooks out of a small ceramic container, dangled them from her paw hands and then pulled up dish after dish, stacking them neatly, letting them down with scarcely a sound. “Once it’s something as big as a stack of dishes, we can carry them like everyone else.”</p><p>“Wow.” Misa was genuinely impressed. <em>I can’t move my arms that fast for </em><em><b>anything</b></em><em>, much less precise work like that.</em> “How do you-” Misa flinched when Milala turned towards her and put her face extremely close to Misa’s.</p><p>“Ocelot eyes have much better dynamic vision than those of most other folks. That’s one thing we share with Nekomatas, Jinkos and a few others. We’re also really fleet footed.” She was still very close to Misa, so much so that the Demon could feel her breath.</p><p>And it was gross. “Milala.”</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“Given your ability to handle things this well – you are capable of brushing your teeth, yes?”</p><p>“Of course. We might be eating a much more balanced diet than the likes of Jinko, but that does not-” Milala’s face showed her sudden realization. “Does… does my breath stink?”</p><p>“Quite a bit.”</p><p>“R-Really?” The Ocelot was visibly shaking.</p><p>“Yes.” Misa wasn’t timid enough to <b>not</b> tell someone when their breath stunk.</p><p>“I won’t have you act like I did not do it properly, so you’re coming with me.”</p><p>“Huh, that’s really not-” Misa stumbled when Milala grabbed hold of her arm and pulled. The insides of her hands were quite fuzzy and warm and unlike Nekomata paws, had much smaller soft and squishy spots, further towards the center of their hand. Getting dragged out of the room and towards the bathroom, Misa felt like maybe she should have worded it more nicely.</p><p>One part of the bathroom Misa hadn’t paid much attention to was the suspended cabinet above the sink. It contained four individual segmented spaces inside, three of them filled with things. The bottom right seemed to belong to Milala, containing a cup that with an extraordinarily large handle, a brush that was more than just usual and a small container with some kind of green paste for cleaning teeth. The so called Teethpaste was an invention by an Elven adventurer that had spent great cycles with Ogres and Oni and came up with a blend of herbs. Processed by boiling and combining with water and starch from a specific plant, it created a special substance that not only cleansed the palate, the teeth, but also rid many of those that followed a meat centered diet of the bad smell that would linger on their breath.</p><p>Milala’s brush, a teethbrush, was a metal bar with holes on each end. Pushing out two claws, Milala slipped the bar onto her hand. On one hand, soft brushes were mounted onto the metal. Misa admired the ingenuity there. That way, someone like an Ocelot could properly brush and apply pressure just fine because the bar was fixed between claws. “Oh that’s so clever.”</p><p>“The brush? I mean… I guess? It’s normal.”</p><p>Watching Milala flick open the lid of the very shallow and rectangular container, dunk the brush into the paste and wet it with some water from the faucet, she started brushing. The actual process was hardly any different from Demons, Misa found, other than the Ocelot having trouble reaching into the back on each side. Misa was just about to ask when Milala slipped one claw out and adjusted the angle the bar rested on the remaining claw to create tension – keeping the bar in place and allowing her to clean the teeth in the back as well.</p><p>Finishing up, Milala dropped the brush on the edge of the sink, grabbed the mug with the huge handle just like a Demon would, and filled it with water. Gargling and spitting out the slightly foaming water, a very determined looking Milala turned to Misa and breathed on her.</p><p>“All good. But I must say I’m really impressed.”</p><p>“Because Ocelot culture isn’t primitive?”</p><p>“I didn’t mean it like that!”</p><p>“Then that’s good. Some people think we can’t do any delicate task just because our hands a bit more unwieldy than those of the snake folks or others like Demons and such.”</p><p>“Yeah, I’m a hundred percent convinced that’s not the case.”</p><p>“So… uh… anything else I need to fix other than my breath? Come to think of it, I was so tired and stressed out lately I haven’t brushed in a while.”</p><p>“Well, you do need a bath.”</p><p>“I just took one last Tidecall.”</p><p>“That’s seven days ago! You can’t only bathe every ten days!”</p><p>“Why not? It is quite normal in Junanji.”</p><p>“Ju…?”</p><p>“The place where almost all Ocelot live. South in the nature lands. I’m confused you don’t know it, it’s just north of the Demon realm. You had to have come through there unless you took a huge detour.”</p><p>“Uh… <b>maybe</b> I went through there.”</p><p>“A bath… I don’t have time for that though. I need to go to sleep soon so I can handle work tomorrow.”</p><p>“You’ll feel <b>much</b> better clean and sleeping in a clean room!”</p><p>“Are you sure?”</p><p>“You’ve been stressed lately, right?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“And given what you told me about Ocelot work culture, it’s not from overwork.”</p><p>“We don’t have that.”</p><p>“Overwork?”</p><p>“More work is just better. There’s no such thing as too much of it.”</p><p>“So it’s not from work.”</p><p>“Oh… you think it’s because of my room.”</p><p>“Makes sense.”</p><p>Someone hammered on the door. “How long are you gonna be in there?! I gotta piss!”</p><p>Milala frowned. “That’s Fea. Let’s leave before she just goes in the hallway.”</p><p>Misa had barely opened the door when a blue whirlwind of fur soared past her, pushed them both out and slammed the door shut behind them. <em>What… was that?</em></p><p>“You haven’t met her yet?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“She’s in Four-Three.”</p><p>“What is she?”</p><p>“A huge annoyance.” Seeing Misa’s <em>That is not what I meant</em> look, Milala sighed. “Raiju.”</p><p>“Oh.” <em>I have no idea what that is.</em></p><p>“Are you <b>sure</b> about the bath?”</p><p>“Is there special Ocelot culture around bathing that makes it a pain?”</p><p>“It’s just a lot of time spent rather inefficiently.”</p><p>“It’s not!”</p><p>“Do Demons study or work during-”</p><p>“Now listen up! Negotiation, people relations in general, sleep, rest, recharging for the next work day, all of that will work better while neat and clean!”</p><p>“Well, if you insist that much.”</p><p>They heard the toilet flush and moments after the door opened. A woman with a frazzled, unkempt blue curtain of hair walked out, squeezing just past the other two. She was quite a bit shorter than Misa and especially Milala. With large blue fur coated ears on top of her hair, a bushy blue tail and bright blue fur growing from her ankles upwards just a bit, she was quite of a mess. Wearing a type of clothing that Misa had never seen before – an easily flowing dress with huge sleeves that just barely covered beneath her hips – she caught the Demon’s attention for all of the ten seconds she needed to get from the bathroom back into her room.</p><p>“First time seeing a Raiju?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“I hear they are crazy in bed.”</p><p>“O-Oh.”</p><p>“I don’t think all of them have chests that gigantic though.”</p><p>“Huh?” <em>Oh, I didn’t even pay attention there…</em></p><p>“I can’t imagine how she gets anything done with those huge things in the way. I’m lucky mine are normal.”</p><p>“Let’s go.” Anticipating a <em>where</em>, Misa added; “Back to your room. I am <b>not</b> leaving until I cleaned up that mess!”</p><p>Stopping in front of the door to Three-Two, Milala picked the conversation back up. “You’re different from what I expected.”</p><p>“How so?”</p><p>“I thought you’d be someone that would mumble, trip over her own feet, and so on. Someone really coy.”</p><p>“I’m just a bit out of my element here!”</p><p>“Because it includes house work?”</p><p>“What makes you think <b>that</b>?! I said I am fine with cleaning!”</p><p>“So the sex work then?”</p><p>Misa blushed, involuntarily.</p><p>“That is surprising.”</p><p>“How’s that surprising?!”</p><p>“There aren’t many people out there that would be embarrassed or coy about it.”</p><p><em>What?</em> “What?” What.</p><p>“Exactly as I said.”</p><p>“No, no, no, I mean, brothels and places like that are all down in the labyrinth in the Freesight!”</p><p>“Because access is easy, rent is cheap and it bears the most impact from travelers, merchants and tourists. Why would anyone want to set a brothel up in the Toil where one will be exhausted just climbing the roads or the Plateau, where rent is exorbitant?”</p><p>“Uh… <b>uhhh…</b> is that… how it is?”</p><p>“Did you really not know?”</p><p>“We didn’t have any brothels back in my hometown!”</p><p>“That must really be quite the tiny village.”</p><p>“More than four thousand people!”</p><p>“Perhaps you were just not aware of such places. Did any Succubus live nearby?”</p><p>“Huh? Yeah a few but they all worked at that massage-” Misa’s thoughts just stopped as she realized the true identity of what her Mom had always just referred to as the <em>Massage Parlor</em>. “I can’t believe this.”</p><p>“So you are a virgin then?”</p><p>“I’m not <b>that</b> much of a boonies girl!” <em>I can’t possibly tell her that Maina was the one that taught me… </em></p><p>Opening the door – it wasn’t locked – Milala stepped inside and Misa followed.</p><p>“How do you clean that tree?”</p><p>“I had a special brush for that somewhere… I think.”</p><p>“You think.”</p><p>“Most of my capacity to remember things is reserved for work.”</p><p>“Hah… I’ll find it if it’s here. After the kitchen is that bed. Do you have any change for pillow covers and such?”</p><p>Milala pointed at the huge pile of dirty laundry and Misa sighed loudly. “I’m a bit curious, why a buttoned shirt?”</p><p>“This?” Milala looked down on herself. “I have about nine more of these. Although this is the last one that is still acceptable.”</p><p>“There’s a huge stain on it.”</p><p>“It won’t be visible under my suit.”</p><p>“Your suit?”</p><p>Milala pointed at her bed and Misa went to took a look. A suit that was in definite need of cleaning was tossed onto the mattress. <em>This… might be a little much for me if I keep getting distracted by her.</em></p><p>“Okay, <b>you</b>!” Misa pointed boldly at Milala. “Go take a bath!”</p><p>“Right now? I did not make an appointment for it.”</p><p>“An appointment?”</p><p>“You need to write your name and a time into the planner to book time for something so lengthy.”</p><p>“Did anyone else write their name for it?”</p><p>“This late? No.”</p><p>“Then go!”</p><p>“But-”</p><p>Misa’s right eye twitched, her wings flapped and her tail slapped to the ground. “No buts! I don’t want someone that smells like… like a homeless person in this house!”</p><p>Milala staggered back like Misa had hurled a forbidden curse at her. “Home… homeless… unemployed… no… no work…” Turning around slowly, Milala staggered right back out the room, mumbling to herself.</p><p><em>Oh, <b>that</b> was effective. I need to remember that for the future.</em> In many other folk’s stereotypes and legends, Demons were often called <em>evil</em> when in truth they were merely good at instinctively finding a path of least resistance in others. This often involved uncomfortable truths and such. It was nothing so grand as to call it a special ability or a type of magic. Demons simply had a knack for finding an emotional weakspot here and there.</p><p>Working through the remainder of the kitchen chaos, Misa set out to fix up the rest of the room. She didn’t know where laundry was done yet, but given that only the richest of the rich had one of the fabled automatic washing laundry machines, she was likely looking at doing it the same way everyone else did it – fill a big bucket with water and a rune talisman, then get scrubbing. For the time being she kicked all the dirty laundry outside and kept only the suit, a shirt, a pleated skirt and the least racy set of underwear on for cleaning. While the water was pouring into the bucket rather slowly, likely because Milala was also letting in a bath, Misa went back downstairs and knocked on Rila’s door.</p><p>After four knocks and no answer, Misa wondered if she had gone to sleep and instead set out for the bathroom on the third floor. It was furnished the exact same way as the one on the fourth and she could hear water run through the pipes. <em>Whoever invented this must be the richest person in the world by now.</em> Searching the shelves with the laundry baskets, she found what she was looking for. A small container with about a dozen coins inside. Those coins were special, one-and-gone use talismans that would purify water and anything in it if some force was applied.</p><p>Grabbing two of them, for good measure, she went back upstairs. Leaving one coin on a shelf, she threw the other one into the bucket and the water took on a slightly deeper blue, now imbued with cleansing magic. It was a rather primitive spell and available for cheap despite the monopoly the witches had on it.</p><p>Luckily, a washing brush had emerged from the laundry pile that was now housed at the far end of the hallway outside the room. Getting to work, Misa felt like she was going to have to keep an eye on this girl. <em>Workaholics… are all Ocelot like this? She says they are but… really, an entire culture centered around working until you drop? Did her mothers not teach her how to balance things? Not that I really know what Ocelot parenting is like… maybe I should hold off on being judgmental… bad habit.</em></p><p>Getting through the initial set rather quickly, Misa opened up the window next to the kitchen, above the storage boxes. Just about any window anywhere came with extendable poles that served to dry laundry. It was already dark outside and drying talismans were a lot more pricey so it would be a waste to use one on them. Not to mention she didn’t even know if they had any. It being a warm night, they would be dry soon enough.</p><p><em>The tree can wait… I’m not sure how to clean that anyway.</em> Grabbing everything from the bed that she could, she knew that washing them right now, this late, was a bad idea. Holding as many as she could without robbing herself of being able to see in front of her, she left the room and headed towards the stairs. Instead of there being stairs that would lead to a fifth floor – as there was no fifth – she could go outside to a small balcony that then had wooden stairs furnished to the side of the building. Beating, flapping and airing out the blankets as much as she could, Misa felt strangely not out of place anymore. <em>If it’s just work like this… I can handle this. I <b>can</b> handle this!</em></p><p>It only took her until she got back to Milala’s room for that confidence to explode in a big cloud of smoke. Stark naked with just a towel on her head, bulging from her large ears, Milala was giving Misa a completely casual look like nothing was wrong. “P-Please put on some clothes!”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Why…? Because… you should wear clothes around-” Misa, carrying a huge bundle of blankets, nearly backed away when Milala approached her. “W-Wh-Wha-”</p><p>“Are you embarrassed?”</p><p>“Aren’t you?!”</p><p>“What for?”</p><p>“Because… you know, forget it…” Misa knew that she was likely the odd one out. Rila hadn’t so much as blinked twice at parading her hot body around in front of Misa.</p><p>“I think I’ve seen everyone here naked a few times.”</p><p>“Everyone?!”</p><p>“You’re the aide, I’m sure you’ll do a lot more than just <b>see</b> us naked.”</p><p>“Uhm… about that… isn’t there like… a problem if I s-sleep with more than one person?”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Why… because normally-”</p><p>“This isn’t normally. You are not our girlfriend. You are paid to help us around the house and personally, including sex and such needs. Making a fuss over you sleeping with Siaka wouldn’t make sense for me.”</p><p>“That’s kinda demotivating and harsh…”</p><p>“It’s fine to enjoy your time with everyone of course, but you shouldn’t expect of us to demand exclusivity or something like that. Everyone here knows better.”</p><p>“I see…”</p><p>“If that is a problem, you should talk to Rila and maybe decline-”</p><p>“No! I’ll figure it out. It’s not like sleeping with everyone is a bad thing. I’m just…”</p><p>“Inexperienced?”</p><p>“I had sex before!”</p><p>“That is a very cute answer.” Milala walked to her bed and looked down. “Did you wash all of them?”</p><p>“Just dusted them off and stuff. They wouldn’t be dry in time and… could you please put on some underwear while I’m here?”</p><p>“No. You need to get used to any one of us being naked around you.”</p><p>“Ugh…” <em>That’s so much easier said than done!</em></p><p>Milala, completely naked, just threw the towel on the floor and froze when Misa stared at her. Leaning down to pick it up, she felt strangely self-conscious about her behavior. Not being naked, but the way she caused a mess. “Where do-”</p><p>“Laundry pile. Outside.”</p><p>“You can’t leave-”</p><p>“I’m cleaning <b>all</b> of that before tomorrow!”</p><p>“Oh. That is working spirit worthy of an Ocelot!” Milala perked right up.</p><p>“If you cause a mess like that again, I am going to be <b>really</b> mad.” Misa smiled and her smile promised a world of hurt. Being paid to clean up or not, she was not going to put up with someone making a mess deliberately.</p><p>“Understood.” Milala seemed to respond well to a bit of authority talk.</p><p>There’s nothing I can do about that tree right now and your mattress needs some proper airing out. I’ll take care of that when you’re at work tomorrow. Same with your clothes.”</p><p>“Such working spirit!” Milala looked even happier now.</p><p>“Are all Ocelots this bad at managing their own belongings?”</p><p>“My parents certainly employed a Kikimora for their such needs. I don’t have the capital or space to do that. A Kikimora is particularly easy to seduce too, so a Kikimora lover is not exactly… well.” It didn’t escape Misa’s attention that Milala averted her gaze quite distinctly.</p><p>“What? You don’t agree with the cougaring thing?”</p><p>“That is not it.”</p><p>“So what then?” Finally making the walk through the room, Misa did her best to not let Milala’s nakedness bother her. <em>She’s so stupidly sexy though! Way different from Rila but by Calam!</em></p><p>“Most of us remain in Junanji all their lives. We only know Ocelot culture and customs and whatever we care to remember from cultural class in school. Which typically is not much. But having lived here in Minais Sho for a while now, I see so many relationships that completely defy what I know from back home.”</p><p>“And you want something like that for yourself?”</p><p>“I want to <b>try</b> it. But it’s difficult to even think of someone else as an equal partner.”</p><p>“Do Ocelots not fall in love? What about your parents?”</p><p>“They are of similar meritorious rank in our society and so they married and had children.”</p><p>“That’s kind of sad.” Finishing putting the blankets back down, Misa leaned in and sniffed the mattress from the distance. <em>This is gonna need a lot of hours… I’ll ask a few Harpies to wing-beat this thing.</em></p><p>“So I’ve come to believe too.”</p><p>“It is really weird for me to listen to you talk about rank this, rank that when it comes to other folks.”</p><p>“I don’t mean to be offensive.”</p><p>“Yeah, I get it, culture.”</p><p>“Stay the night?”</p><p>“<b>What?!</b>” Misa choked on her own saliva and started coughing violently, getting hiccups in the middle of it.</p><p>“Are you okay?”</p><p>Nodding and then taking a few steps away, using the kitchen counter to support herself, Misa blushed rather strongly. “You want me to… stay the night?”</p><p>“We have been talking a lot and it is getting very late. If you want to continue-”</p><p><em>That’s <b>so</b> misleading!</em>“Do you say misleading things like that at work too?”</p><p>“Misleading?” Milala tilted her head to the side and had an <em>oh</em> moment. “I wouldn’t turn that down either, though.”</p><p>“Uh-”</p><p>“Unlike the others, I don’t have that much of a sex drive. Four or five times a cycle is enough for me.”</p><p><em>That’s a lot! Wait, <b>unlike</b> the others?! How… how much…</em> <em>Come to think of it, how does an Ocelot even… I mean they’re…</em> Misa’s eyes wandered down from Milala’s chest and then further down still. <em>Yeah, they’re the same. But how do they-</em></p><p>“Curious about how an Ocelot masturbates?” Milala grinned.</p><p>“<b>Nope</b>, I’m good.” Looking quickly over the room, it was in much better shape than before. Not <em>clean</em> shape, but a few more work hours and she’d get it there. “I’ll be back in the morning. You have a <b>lot</b> of laundry, where is that usually hung out to dry?”</p><p>“I wouldn’t know.”</p><p><em>Of course you wouldn’t.</em> “I’ll ask Rila in the morning then and do laundry after.”</p><p>“So are you staying the night?”</p><p>“No!”</p><p>“Then get out.” Milala lightly jumped over the bed frame, laid down on her stomach and stretched. It took all of five seconds for her to stop reacting to Misa’s presence, still in the room.</p><p>Leaving the occupant of Three-Two behind, Misa felt tired. <em>Are they <b>all</b> gonna be this weird?</em> Looking at the huge pile of laundry, Misa decided to just leave it there until the morning. She didn’t want it stinking up her own room.</p><p>
  <em>What a day… at least I got a place to stay and a job now. Even though this job is super weird. I didn’t think I’d have to do maid work <b>and</b> brothel work… come to think of it, I never asked what exactly my salary is… I’ll have to talk to Rila about it.</em>
</p><p>Getting back to her room, she realized that she would have to buy a brush and stuff too if she was going to stay there for a while. Hotels supplied one-off brushes and such for guests in most places but she wasn’t in a hotel anymore. Sitting down on her bed, in her rather empty room, she thought about what to buy with her first salary, likely two cycles from today.</p><p>Grabbing the book from before, she laid down on her bed and started to thoroughly read the Ocelot entry. <em>Wow, they average… how much is two-hundred centimeters? Stupid dwarf stuff!</em> <em>I guess it’s… tall. She was kinda tall. Not that tall though. Like, medium sized tall. Oh here’s the part about their workaholic culture… wow… it’s just full on merito… merit… oh, meritocracy.</em> Misa pretended she didn’t get it right because she saw the book use the same word. Feeling her eyelids get heavier, Misa let her head sink and onto the book. <em>I’ll have to read up on everyone. I don’t want them to think I’m this know nothing idiot.</em></p><p>Reading the next paragraph, blinking, sniffling, then reading it again, she rubbed her eyes. <em>Okay, I still have no idea what I just read. Time for sleep.</em> Closing the book up, she got out of bed, pushed the small button that enabled or cut the lightning energy to her room, and on her way back to the bed, blew out the candle. <em>I’ll figure tomorrow out… tomorrow. I’m just glad she didn’t make me spend the night with her… now I’m damn curious how </em><em><b>do</b></em><em> they… no Misa, sleep! No horny now, just sleep!</em></p><p>Her body did not agree with her on this. <em>Dammit!</em> Turning over twice, she resisted.<em> Milala’s really hot though… I wonder if she’s okay not drying off her fur before going to bed. Isn’t that going to be messy? Her hair, too… the more I think about her, the more that woman is a disaster. How did she manage to get by until now? I sure hope they’re not all that high maintenance.</em></p><p>Turning over again, she bit her lip.<em> Tria was cuter… </em>Thinking about the Basilisk girl living down on the second floor, Misa finally passed into the realm of dreams.</p><p>Over in room Three-Two, Milala was chuckling to herself, rolling back and forth on her surprisingly refreshingly clean bed, breathing in the little bit of fragrance that Misa had left on the blankets. <em>She’s a Demon but she’s kinda… really unique. So easily embarrassed and kinda coy about something as simple as me being naked. But then she’s also really scary when it comes to her work. Kinda like an Ocelot! Someone so unique… maybe I should try and seduce her. But then again, she is </em><em><b>paid</b></em><em> to sleep with me, so I guess I can’t really call that a conquest. The others would definitely find out, too, and then I look like an idiot. But she was also cute. Kinda average in a cute way. I do wonder if about her tail though, can she use that like I do? So was that a trick question about not knowing how Ocelot’s masturbate? She really didn’t seem to know though.</em></p><p>Her thoughts trailing off, she curled up, several blankets on top of her. <em>She was right though… no matter how I move, it feels good. No weird smells, no icky stickiness on my fur… </em><em>ah, so clean… </em></p><p>A loud, vibrating sound came from the bed moments later and there were no more thoughts or ideas to be had.</p><p>Come morning, the sun’s first rays would hit Four-Four and Four-Two, waking up Misa on morning’s first breath. <em>Ah… so it wasn’t a dream. This is reality.</em> Sitting up, her hair a spectacular mess, Misa looked at the window, sniffled and yawned loudly.</p><p>Standing up, she noticed that she was still dressed.<em> Oh drat… I slept in my clothes…</em> Opening up the window, the first thing she saw was a flock of Harpies perching on the house next over, excitedly talking to each other. One of them noticed her, jumping just a little bit to turn, faced her and waved energetically with both wings. Misa waved back without thinking about it. <em>Time to wash up… and get to work I guess. But I need to go and talk to Rila too. That comes first. I wanna know my salary, where to put laundry and so on. I didn’t really get much of an explanation yesterday.</em></p><p>Staying by her window, Misa frowned. <em>Misa. Move. Outside. Work.</em> But her body refused. <em>I know the breeze is nice and those Harpies are very cute but come on.</em> Pulling herself away from the window like she was glued to it, Misa slumped and sighed heavily. <em>Talking to my boss about money and chores first thing in the morning is not really my thing.</em></p><p>Hitting up her dresscase, Misa decided to buy time – by filling up her wardrobe. <em>Everything’s all c</em><em>rumpled</em><em>… did my stuff go flying when I was knocked out? </em>Feeling for her bump, it was still there and hurt a bit, but less so than the night before. <em>Maybe I should have held it against them… although I’d be incredibly stressed too if my room was such a filthy place. I wonder if this Siaka is just as bad as Milala. </em><em><b>Two</b></em><em> of them is a bit much though.</em></p><p>Undressing down to underwear, Misa pulled the curtains in front of the open window before she took off the rest. She took a red, tight fitting top that showed off her stomach, as well as short pants made from processed cotton, called Janes, after the lady that invented that particular type of clothing. <em>I really need to get used to seeing the women here naked if what Milala said is true… but that’s easier said than done. My heart still races when I see Maina naked and she’s my cousin and I actually slept with her before. I need to mentally prepare before I end up seeing Tria naked. That cuteness might kill me.</em></p><p>Switching to a flat pair of shoes, Misa felt kind of uncomfortable. <em>I only ever used these when I went to the lake and into the water.</em> Demon society was somewhat restrictive in what kind of footwear was socially acceptable. Misa had grown up with heels and while they were not optimal for house work, for just walking and standing they proved to be more agreeable with her.</p><p>Tying her unkempt – and in need of a wash – hair into a ponytail, Misa flapped her wings a few times, making the curtains press against the walls, and did a quick tail exercise. First, touching the tail’s tip to her nose, then her bellybutton, then over her head, then four times around her thighs before finally lifting a small weight, in this case her discarded clothes, with it. It was important to do that every day to avoid atrophied tail muscles.</p><p>Something was off.</p><p>Stripping, taking the top off, Misa inspected the back of it. Demon clothes had two long vertical openings for the wings to pass through. <em>Oh come on… this was almost new.</em> One of the wing slits had a ruptured seam, causing the slit to extend further down. <em>Even if I sew this back up… it’s just gonna break when I push my wings through. Shoddy. I wish I could trade it in… </em></p><p>Switching to a third piece, a black short sleeved shirt that had two primarily decorative buttons at the top, Misa winced. <em>I really like that top, too.</em> The big problem with Demon fashion was that if the product was shoddy, it would not last very long at all.</p><p>Opening the door, Misa heard something hit the ground. Something small and lightweight. Looking down, she spotted the culprit: a small, personal cleansing talisman. Unlike the type that was soluble in water and used for laundry, this type was made for a quick fix for oneself, such as removing dirt, unwanted fluids and the likes. <em>Who left this here?</em> It was attached to a piece of paper that had just a heart drawn on it. <em>This must be from Tria. She’s so nice.</em></p><p>Taking the talisman in hand, she crushed it and both her hair and her body were relieved from sweat and grime. <em>I prefer to take baths but once in a while, this is okay. </em>While the effects were permanent, it was a lazy way to stay clean and expensive as well. Misa didn’t like laziness <b>or</b> careless spending.</p><p>Heading downstairs, she wondered if today was the day she’d be introduced to everyone. She’d rather not suddenly run into another resident and not even know what kind of folk they were. It was embarrassing enough to not recognize an Ocelot even though she had apparently passed through their capital city on her way to Minais Sho. <em>I’ll have to ask Rila for more books… I don’t think the one I have now covers Basilisks, Mermaids and Gargoyles… I hope it’s not rude to want to read about her kin. Before I can get any studying in I’ll have to manage that mountain of laundry, then probably do my own laundry, write my name on that bathroom schedule, go buy some things… man I’m gonna be running around all day.</em></p><p>Stopping in front of Rila’s door, she knocked. “Rila, it’s Misa. You in? I have a few questions.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Lore Bonus 2 - Ocelot & Gargoyle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
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  <b>__Gargoyle</b>
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<hr/><p>One of the artificial races, the Gargoyle first came about several thousand years ago when a particularly annoyed goddess was fed up with her worshipers slacking on the job and three temples of hers got raided in one week. Waiting guards of imposing nature that never slept, never rested and could not be hurt by steel or magic, she granted life to the stone statues that were put up in her supposed image.</p><p>Highly buxom statues, appearing much like demons, made of stone, came to life. But as life had it, the goddess had overreached somewhat fierce. Her fellow gods saw the powerful guardians she had created and thought them far too good for a minor goddess like her. So they chained them to the very ground they stood on with powerful divine force.</p><p>But even for the other gods, life could be cruel. A powerful sorceress, then the mightiest in the world, happened to be visiting the temples of the region and fell in love with the guise of the protectors of stone. Repelling their onslaught with ease, she smashed to pieces the chains that bound them. Confused by this act, the then nameless guardians asked of her a name. The sorceress’ name is disputed to this day but would have to be Layle or Loyle. The goddess that had created them – and has since retired and become cosmic dust – went once by the name of Gyarg. In time, the creatures became known as Gargoyles.</p><p>Taking the guardians with her, then the Sorceress sought to give them greater life for breasts and tongues of stone made for poor lovers. To change stone to flesh was too great a task for even the sorceress so mighty. The goddess, as she watched a sorceress of such caliber love so the guardians she gave life to, that were in her guise, she could not but help. Rhrough powers of divine and magic united, the cold stone of the Gargoyle was melded into that of the living stone that the Gargoyles of today are still made of.</p><p>Living stone is a magical material that as the name implies is a type of stone that is alive. This manifests in the stone having its own innate temperature, coming in just a little hotter than that of humans, and requiring continuous care to maintain a stable state. It is produced by certified witches and sorceresses in a process called Instillification, during which powerful life energy is combined with high purity granite blocks of about two by two meters.</p><p>These blocks of living stone run about the price of a small mansion and it takes roughly three months to produce one. They are made around the year, by a number of dedicated manufacturing witches, totaling about 30 to 40 of them per year.</p><p>To make a Gargoyle out of living stone requires expert handiwork and once given form and instilled with a soul it becomes incredibly difficult to amend the design. As such only the most expert stone masons are involved in making Gargoyles and it takes up to 50 years to become certified to make them. Making just a single one can cost three to four times as much as the stone itself, before shipping.</p><p>Ordering a Gargoyle requires hiring exceptional sketching artists that put the customers design on paper for the stone mason to use. A Gargoyle can only come alive if the general design is a close enough match to the original Gargoyles, making things like child-like Gargoyles or enormous Gargoyles of more than 2 meters impossible. A soul will simply not flow into such a design.</p><p>Gargoyles vary a bit in size and design but have hard defined limits. They can be no taller than 195cm and no shorter than 175cm. They bust size can vary from 95cm to 105cm. Their tail length can be between 90cm and 110cm. Their wing span can be between 180cm and 220cm. Their horns can be between 12cm and 18cm length. As they are still stone, their skin will appear as such. While some designs have clawed feet and hands, experiments have shown that Gargoyles will active just fine with proper extremities and most Gargoyles are now made with those.</p><p>Living stone allows fluidity and is even malleable to a degree – while this makes the Gargoyle very lifelike, it puts them at risk and makes them much less sturdy than their progenitors. They have to eat, drink and sleep much like the living races. Living stone is in some ways a magical parasitic network of invisible roots moving through the stone. They can digest almost anything including bone, wood, stone and even gemstones. Being stone, a Gargoyle is very heavy and requires special bedding to sleep in. Any partner of a Gargoyle should be physically able to endure the weight of roughly 600kg as that is what most Gargoyles weight. Although the Gargoyle has a digestive tract it does not possess most organs such as a heart or lungs. A Gargoyle does not breathe although many train to give the impression they do. Albeit Gargoyles have wings, they cannot fly or even glide.</p><p>The final process to create a Gargoyle requires a second Gargoyle and a specifically certified witch to conduct the process. Through the witch’s magic, the Gargoyle’s soul swells to almost bursting levels. Then the Gargoyle lays a kiss onto the statute that is a Gargoyle to be. Imparting the excess of her own soul to the new Gargoyle the process is called the gifting. After the gifting is complete, the new Gargoyle is taught the basics of society for up to seven days by the witch and the first Gargoyle. Of course, this too has to be paid for handsomely.</p><p>They have very deep and mature voices, and despite being one of the artificial races, they are naturally a very stubborn, headstrong and independent people. More often than not a rich noble paying a small kingdom’s fortune to have a Gargoyle wife made finds themselves with a very large bill and no Gargoyle to speak of. Their favorite treat is a type of brittle white stone called Lillrium that has the effect of raising their sexual appetite.</p><p>Gargoyles love the Golem race as a whole and find themselves incredibly attracted to them. While Gargoyles are known to fall in love randomly, most do seek out a Golem wife. They believe their similarities make them good matches and many people have to agree. In a relationship, a Gargoyle still remains headstrong but will readily compromise with their wife when needed. They love to procure rare objects, gems and even small artifacts to give to their wife as present.</p><p>Professionally, the race has a powerful inclination to work with mining companies. Their unique existence allows them to sense mineral deposits which is invaluable for any company involved. Any company setting out to mine in Yeti territory has Gargoyles on the payroll. Gargoyles also work for jewelers, able to tell gems apart at the most minute level. They are the only race that can safely handle bloodrock, a highly toxic substance that is used to make eternally powered artifacts. Gargoyles seldom lack for money and while they have a penchant for spoiling their wives they also like to hoard a bit of gold. Albeit many a Gargoyle must resist temptation to simply eat their hard earned coin.</p><p>Socially, other than being in love with Golems, the Gargoyle makes friends with Demons, Dragons and races such as Minotaurus and the Oni. They are cautious around the more fragile races as even tripping and falling on top of one of them could become lethal.</p><p>They love to decorate their homes and if not outright buying a house, one can expect a Gargoyle to eventually try and purchase the property they are renting.</p><p>Gargoyles have functionally no lifespans but have to undergo a revitalizing bath in molten living stone once every four years to maintain their body. Despite what many think, a Gargoyle’s breasts are indeed soft to the touch and can be somewhat kneaded given enough force, such as a Golem’s strength.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>__Ocelot</b>
</p>
<hr/><p>A type of beast-race with Jaguar like features. Compared to many other beast races, their paws and feet are hardly differently sized from humans but animalistic, spotting patterned fur from the thigh down and almost from the shoulder down, resulting in very nimble hand-like paws.</p><p>While many would compare the Ocelot to the Jinko, they are in fact at the opposite ends of the spectrum in many ways.</p><p>Ocelots grow up to be about 200cm tall on average and are typically very slim, albeit outlying individuals have been observed to exist. Their powerful legs give them some of the greatest speed among all the non-magical races and even many of the magical races cannot compete with them. Their smaller than typical paws lend themselves to the usage of weapons and the Ocelot makes ample usage of this.</p><p>One similarity with the Jinko however is that of their past – the Ocelot used to be a deeply dangerous race inhabiting the jungles sprawling the vastness between the realm of Ilalia and the demonic realm, making passage through for any race almost suicidal. Even the demonic realm typically moved around the jungles and to the east. Then, an unknown exact time but roughly 840 years ago, an expeditionary force of human witches ventured into the jungle. Tale has it that the then chief Ocelot fell madly in love with one of the witches they captured and from there on change took root.</p><p>Skip forward almost a millennia and many, many bloody arguments later, the Ocelot are now a unionized business under the direct control of a merit based matriarchy and chief of business relations. The entire race has functionally become a company and reside in the city of Junanji, a commerce and trading capital located rather centrally between Ilalia and the demonic realm in the middle of the nature lands.</p><p>Mining, hunting, collecting of rare resources, the Ocelot race covers a lot of aspects regarding the procurement of exotic goods. Many of them have also taken to a special sport called ‘Cougaring’ which involves trying to steal each other’s women, predominantly of other races. These women are often hired on from difficult to abduct or seduce races, all in order to rise higher in the sport’s ranking, a contributor to one’s total merit rating.</p><p>The Ocelot have an extremely unique culture in which everything revolves around capability and actionable merit. From information gathering to developing new techniques or tools to drafting company policy, Ocelots view everything in a competitive way.</p><p>Ocelots rarely venture out of the nature lands but they can be found in smaller encampments all around the Oceroad, the large stone constructed pathway connecting the demonic realm and Ilalia directly to Junanji. Because of the massively reduced travel time, both the common realms and the demonic realm pay the rather exorbitant tolls to pass through the nature lands.</p><p>Socially, the Ocelot is a busybody that will work five days a week and spend not a single thought on anything but work during those five days. The other two are spent almost exclusively Cougaring, with little to no time for other hobbies. Ocelots become obsessed easily and many a time the arrival of a particularly stunning female caused a large Cougaring event to happen.</p><p>Ocelot reproduction is a touchy subject and typically, non-Ocelots are hired on as maids or educators specifically versed in Ocelot culture to handle the raising of the young. The idea of vacations or maternity leave is almost incomprehensible to Ocelots and they love to throw themselves into almost overwork like scenarios, finding immense gratification in being able to work until they can almost no longer move.</p><p>Dietary-wise, Ocelots tend to favor easily digestible foods and try to eat as balanced as possible. They do have particular penchant for smoking a special type of incense that produces strong pseudo hallucinogenic effects and starves off sleep. Many Ocelots tend to suffer from insomnia after prolonged usage.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Gargoyle Visual Design based on<br/>http://kurobine.sakura.ne.jp/mamonogirllover/zukan/gargoyle/page.shtml<br/>Ocelot Visual Design based on<br/>http://kurobine.sakura.ne.jp/mamonogirllover/zukan/ocelomeh/page.shtml</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Money's Worth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Misa goes on an errand!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Finally.” Swiping sweat from her brow, Misa took a few steps back and looked at the laundry that softly wobbled in the winds that were almost omnipresent on the Toil. <em>That’s all of Milala’s clothes washed.</em> Looking at her fingers, they were pretty pruned. <em>Now what do I do? I still haven’t really met anyone else because they’re all at work. I didn’t even see Milala despite waking up as the sun rose.</em></p><p>Taking an intensely deep breath through her nose, the Demon stretched her arms high above her head, pushed out her wings and tail and let the warmth of the day flow into her. <em>This is a pretty nice place though</em>.</p><p>Standing in backyard to the west – with the pond being in the east – Misa had put up the metal poles that had rested dormant against the house wall. <em>I dread the laundry situation with the others. I’ll have to go and buy more cleansing talismans.</em></p><p>“Misa!” That was Rila shouting her name, coming round the corner into view just a moment later. Wearing a white sundress and going barefoot, it contrasted really nicely against her gray skin, giving her a strangely elegant flair.</p><p>“Here!” Stepping out from between the hanging laundry, Misa showed herself. “Something wrong? I just finished putting everything up for drying.”</p><p>“I’m waiting on someone, can you handle shopping?”</p><p>“What kind?”</p><p>Pulling a perfectly smooth piece of paper out from between her breasts, Rila handed it to Misa. The weird look that Misa had on her face didn’t escape her employer. “Hey, <b>I</b> get to do that. No respiration and sweat.”</p><p>“I didn’t say anything!”</p><p>“Your face did.”</p><p><em>Ugh!</em> Looking at the list, Misa squinted. “That’s a whole lot of stuff I never heard of.”</p><p>“See the little labels next to the items?”</p><p>“Uh huh.”</p><p>“That one is for a witch’s shop, that one for a herbalist, and so on. Easy, right?”</p><p><em>There’s twenty items on this list…</em> “Is this food?”</p><p>“Some of it. Are you gonna be okay?”</p><p>“How hard can it possibly be to go shopping?”</p><p>“Then I’ll leave this to you.” Glancing at the drying laundry, Rita whistled a little. “That all Milala’s?”</p><p>“How’d you figure?”</p><p>“Lots of shirts, pleated skirts and the likes. And I sent you to talk to her last night.”</p><p>“Speaking of which, you sleep like-”</p><p>“I am gonna throw you off that cliff if you say rock.”</p><p>“A sealed treasure.”</p><p>“Good save.”</p><p>“By when do I need to be back?”</p><p>“From shopping? You’ll figure out I’m not that strict a boss. You’ll be back when you’re done. How did things with Milala go?”</p><p>“Ocelots are… pretty different from most others I’ve met.”</p><p>“Workaholics, the whole lot of them. Isn’t a life for me. The smell was gonna start to become a problem, so it’s good you took care of that.”</p><p>“Is <b>that</b> why you sent me to see her?”</p><p>“Maybe.”</p><p>“I have no problem doing cleaning, cooking and the likes, but please just outright tell me to do it then.”</p><p>“It wasn’t the <b>only</b> reason. Milala was derailing and I needed someone new to spend some time with her.”</p><p>“She seems like a responsible person… other than general cleanliness and such. But when does she go to work? She was already gone when I went to check on her.” <em>And air out the room. I still need to figure out where that brush for the tree went. It <b>smells</b>.</em></p><p>“I’m not sure myself. Just that she’s the first out and the last in.”</p><p>“Isn’t focusing so much on work unhealthy?”</p><p>“It’s the opposite for them.” Rila walked past Misa and moved into the shade the building threw. “You figured out she’s all work, work, work, right?”</p><p>“Well, yeah… hard to <b>not</b> notice that.”</p><p>“A while back there was an experiment.” Rila picked up a small pebble from the ground and started to juggle it with one hand. “A Hakutaku and a group of Witches had two dozen Ocelots participate in a study to determine if their work culture had detrimental effects on their physical and mental health.”</p><p>Walking into the shade to join Rila, Misa leaned against the wall, listening and looking at the Gargoyle lady from the side. “And?”</p><p>“They had twelve of them work as usual and twelve of them take a vacation of ten days. After five days of no work, the second group was so depressed that they stopped eating. To them, to work is to live. An unemployed Ocelot is like a homeless Gargoyle.”</p><p>“I don’t really get that one.”</p><p>“You’ll figure it out.”</p><p><em>What an answer.</em> Moving away from the wall, Misa headed towards the laundry and felt the wetness of one of the shirts. <em>Maybe in a few hours.</em> “Should I take a basket or something?”</p><p>“Unless you wanna make multiple trips.”</p><p>“Out of curiosity, who are you waiting for?”</p><p>“A date.” Rila said this with all the nonchalance of someone who had grown out of the very concept of embarrassment. “Nothing serious, just business. If I’m not back in the evening, my room is unlocked, just put the basket there. Oh, put anything fresh in the storage box though.”</p><p>“Sure.” <em>I wonder who she’s meeting… I can’t even begin to guess how old she is. Younger than me? Ten times my age? It’s so hard to tell with these kinds of folks. Might as well try to guess Maina’s age.</em> “Oh, do we have a storage room or something, for baskets and the likes?”</p><p>“Up front, there’s stairs that go down underground.”</p><p>“Why underground?”</p><p>“There was a huge boulder of granite there that was valuable, so I sold out. Figured we can turn the huge hole into a storage room. It stays nice and cool, too. Although a bit of a pain in Icefall. Lucky for you that’s two seasons out.”</p><p>“Okay, got it.” <em>It’s still way out but if I am staying here I should invest into some warm clothes for Redreach and Icefall. It probably gets really chilly then.</em> “I’ll see you later then.”</p><p>“Safe trip. Don’t get robbed.”</p><p>“Don’t hex me!”</p><p>Waving, remaining by the wall, Rila threw the pebble up, caught it with her mouth and pulverized it in her jaw like it was a brittle candy. Chewing, she spat out tiny fragments of stone a few seconds later. “I want a ruby…”</p><p>Going around the building – Misa was always impressed by just being able to look onto the always busy eastern main street of the Toil – she searched around in the grass for stairs. And sure enough, just a little bit east of the path she had taken on the day before, there it was. A set of stairs, overgrown with weeds, wooden panels slammed tight into the cold and damp earth. <em>This has got to be a hazard during rains. How does this not flood?</em> There was no hand rail – and getting Rila to install one immediately jumped to the top ten of her list of things to do – so she held on to the wall. Thanks to wings and tail, Demons possessed excellent senses of balance.</p><p>The ground at the bottom of the two steps, the dwarves would have insisted on calling it two meters, deep hole was all paneled wood. Standing there, she could hear running water so she crouched down and touched onto the wood, seeing between the cracks. <em>Oh. There’s a metal grid beneath this. I guess the rain drains right through this.</em> In front of her was a sturdy wooden door, elevated by about a fifth of a step from the ground. <em>And this is so it doesn’t flood. Guess this is a better construction than I thought.</em></p><p>The door wasn’t locked, it had no lock at all even, and Misa first pulled, then pushed. The hole only really showed her the extent of the stairs, with the actual room being properly underground. What would have been atop the roof of the room was just earth and grass. <em>It’s pretty well hidden.</em></p><p>Lit rather poorly within, stale air greeted her and stone ground. <em>Oh.</em> Touching the walls, they were smooth stone as well. <em>So it’s not wood. I guess wood would rot too fast with the temperature changes. And the earth above the roof would soak up water and drizzle in here.</em></p><p>By itself the room seemed about four by three steps, containing a few shelves, a stack of baskets, something that looked like a tremendously oversized raindress, two storage boxes… it was really nothing out of the ordinary. If anything, it was almost boring. <em>I kinda expected more from a house this crazy.</em></p><p>Grabbing the largest basket she could find, a big elongated bowl with a sturdy grip in the center and on both ends, Misa stepped out, held the basket with one hand and pulled the door close behind her. She was already dressed in an okay way to go outside, at least for Demon standards, so she went up the stairs and onto the main road right away.</p><p>It was busy. Very busy. Merchants praising their wares on one side, tides and ebbs of people moving in both directions. She didn’t hurry and didn’t let it stress her; the occasional moment of having to wait for someone large or a group to pass. Halfway down the road, she stepped aside, much as others did, when she saw a group of particularly fierce individuals, a kind she actually recognized from the Demon realm.</p><p>The characteristic charcoal black skin, the mighty height of two steps, the muscular bodies, rugged fur coated arms and legs, great paws on all limbs with lethal claws; their hair an even deeper black, their sclera black, a head adorned with two keenly erect wolfen ears. Each and every single one of these individuals was a powerful warrior, a mighty adversary that could stand even against the greater threats such as the Sandworm or even a Jabberwock.</p><p>Hellhounds.</p><p>Misa instinctively swallowed her breath as they walked past, clad in armor of chain and darkened steel. Across the realms these beings were called the Gatekeepers for if they sought you out, you already stood at the gates to Tashi Mano, the soul cycle.</p><p>Her heart started hammering when one of these ferocious looking warriors stopped right in front of her, looking right at her. “Aren’t <b>you</b> a cute one.” The Hellhound’s voice was deep, much deeper than Rila’s. In total darkness she could possibly have passed for one of the human or dwarven men. Not that she really knew for sure, but that’s what she thought. “Boss!” The Hellhound suddenly yelled.</p><p>The entire group halted and the Hellhound that walked at the front, carrying a huge axe on her back, fastened with leather holstering, turned about and looked down. Misa was unsettled. Not because of the <em>Boss</em> looking down but because the Hellhound in front of her flinched when said boss turned about.</p><p>Of the Hellhounds there were roughly ten, which was enough to make adequate sparring even for a Dragon on a lazy day. Eight of them parted like the sea crossing in the great northwestern island nation, letting their boss walk down.</p><p>Misa felt her hands tremble a little when the boss Hellhound, her face home to many scars, looked at her soldier. The first Hellhound just pointed at Misa then and the boss looked at the Demon. It lasted for all of two seconds before boss slugged the first Hellhound right in the face, dropping her to her knees. The impact was so strong that Misa’s front bangs dangled in the resulting gust of wind. “You bloody idiot! She’s not even the right height <b>or</b> size!”</p><p>“Wha-What?! But look at her! The hair totally matches!”</p><p>“Kir ta Ki!” The boss howled her words and one of the other Hellhounds, last in line, scurried over and helped the injured one up. “Keep an eye on this Caladamn of an idiot.” She then turned to Misa. “Sorry about that. She’s barely nine great cycles old, barely old enough to work.”</p><p>“A-Ah, no worries.” Misa tried to wave but her arms were shaking. This was the closest she had ever gotten to a Hellhound, ever.</p><p>“If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you a few questions.”</p><p>“Uhm… what kind?”</p><p>“We are chasing down a fugitive smuggler from the Demon Realm. Have you been in Minais Sho for long?”</p><p>Misa knew, somewhat, that Hellhounds served the unified realms as a special type of law enforcement that dealt with severe crimes such as murder, smuggling and harming protected folks. She had kind of slept through the rest of that class however. “A little while. Been searching for a job and finally found something. I wouldn’t know the first thing about a fugitive.”</p><p>“I see.”</p><p>“But I will keep my eyes open. What kind is the criminal?”</p><p>“A Demon. That’s why that idiot over there thought you are her. Your hairstyle matches the description we were given.”</p><p>“My… hairstyle?” <em>I’m gonna wear a ponytail from now on.</em></p><p>“Again, I apologize for my subordinates idiocy.”</p><p>“It’s fine… I wasn’t even grabbed or anything!” Misa didn’t want to make things worse for the Hellhound that seemed to be a little lacking in the brain department.</p><p>The boss just nodded at Misa and walked back towards her group, slugging the offending Hellhound a second time and proceeding to growl at her in indecipherable language. Misa didn’t even try to understand it. She only spoke the common language of the unified realms and a little bit of Demona, the now antiquated language of the Demon realm that was being phased out.</p><p><em>That… was scary.</em> Misa took a deep breath and as soon as the Hellhounds were gone, traffic on the street resumed in full force. A colony of shadows briefly covered the road as a flock of Harpies flew past and Misa couldn’t resist but look upward to maybe catch a glimpse of something erotic under the Harpy’s skirts. Unfortunately for her they all wore pants highly similar to what Misa had on herself. <em>Crud.</em></p><p>About to breach into the Freesight, Misa side tracked. One of the stops on her list, clutched tightly into her right hand, was a Witch’s shop, specifically, a Witch’s shop for every day needs. There were many different kinds of course, but the most common and most frequented ones were simply those run by experienced Witches that provided tools for the ins and outs of any household, such at cleansing talismans.</p><p>The building was small, squeezed right into a big corner connecting the Toil and the Freesight. The windows were in need of a dusting, the door wouldn’t close all the way, but people of all sorts were going in and out of it as she approached. Waiting for a Golem lady to leave – she didn’t dare squeeze herself past someone who could crush her with a sneeze – she entered. The inside had shelves at the walls and double sided shelves in the center of the room, for a total of eight shelves, with a Witch sitting at a counter right between the shelves in the back.</p><p>The Witch was just as witchy as one might expect. A large black hat, black robes that fell from their shoulders and obfuscated much of their figure, and likely continued on down to their leather made boots. Misa tried her best to tell members of the human like folks apart, but she had long since given up with Witches. All that ever differed with them was the color of their hair, the size of their hat sometimes, and their voices. They had incomprehensible names like Slayvis Linea as well.</p><p>In Minais Sho, shoplifting was not that uncommon, but few people dared to steal from the Witches. Being cursed was no joke, and curse lifting services were <b>other</b> Witches, who would of course recognize the handiwork of their colleagues. And when the curse lifters refused to help, one would be in real trouble.</p><p>“Welcome.” The greeting conveyed something special. It was a bit of a <em>dead inside</em> feeling, Misa thought.</p><p><em>Okay, first… twelve cleansing agents. That’s… here. Ugh, they only come in packs of five? I guess I’ll just overbuy a little. </em>Misa had access to the house budget, Rila had given her money earlier that morning, and it was secured in a back pocket that was closed up with a zipper. And to top it off, she covered it with the tip of her tail. No pickpocket was going to get her again!<em> Then… two rune r</em><em>efresher</em><em>… only two? Whatever, Rila made the list, she’ll know better. S</em><em>ix</em><em>… </em><em>what is that? Weprep talismans? What… what is that?</em></p><p>“Something I can help you with?” The Witch didn’t make much of an effort there, remaining slumped in her chair.</p><p>“Ah yes, this-” Misa frowned as she spoke when she saw the Witch’s disappointment at actually having to help a customer. “What does a Weprep talisman do?”</p><p>“Weprep? Do you mean a Weather Prediction Talisman?”</p><p>“Uh...” <em>Maybe?</em> “What does that do?” The Witch looked at her like she was an idiot, kind of leering at her from beneath her very large black hat. “Okay, okay, I get it… does what it says… jeez.” <em>It just slipped out before I could think!</em></p><p>“The only other thing I could think of would be a Weapon Permutation Talisman, but that is a specialist item.”</p><p>Witch shops were categorized into three broad types; Convenience, Specialist and Arcane. There existed only a few Arcane shops in the world and Specialist shops were primarily frequented by adventurers, soldiers and the likes. The average citizen only every walked through the door of the convenience stores.</p><p>“This must be it then. The weather talismans are…?”</p><p>“Over there.” The Witch just very slightly nodded towards the far shelf.</p><p>Clearly labeled as such, Misa picked up six weather prediction talismans, small yellow rectangles that had a translucent glass marble embedded in the center. <em>Oh I know these. Mom used to look at one every morning to figure out if it was gonna rain. Yellow means sunny, red means </em><em><b>super</b></em><em> sunny, blue means rain and… I kinda forgot the rest. I think light blue was fog?</em></p><p>Looking at her list again, there was another item she couldn’t make sense of. “Excuse me.”</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“Can you tell what this is supposed to be?” Misa pointed on an entry on her list that she couldn’t read.</p><p>“Hm… do you perhaps live with feather folk?”</p><p>“On the top floor, yes.”</p><p>“Then that is almost certainly a Tramupo sigil.”</p><p>“A what?”</p><p>“A Transmuportation Sigil.”</p><p>“Sorry but that doesn’t make it any clearer.”</p><p>“A sigil that when affixed to a container transmutes and transports the contents to a specific, predetermined location. It’s for toilet tanks and such.”</p><p>“Oh.” <em>Gross.</em></p><p>“They’re just there.” The Witch pointed at the shelf to Misa’s immediate right. Picking up a sigil so labeled, Misa went back to the Witch. “Is that all?” She sounded almost hopeful.</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“That comes to a total of four Adra, seven Yudra.”</p><p>The economic revolution had taken root long before Misa had been born. A process that lasted two centuries, markets, assets and wealth had all been converted to the new currency of the unified realms, backed by a joint consortium of the High Witches Tables, the Thousand Matriarch of Junanji and the Great Council of the Demon Realm, the leaders of the greatest economic forces in the world. Since then, currency followed an easy to understand format.</p><p>“Here’s five Adra.” Handing over five mid sized silver coins with a hole in the center, Misa paid and received her change, three Yudra – three very small bronze coins of square shape.</p><p>The smallest currency was Yudra – named so for Youth and Midra, the god of wealth. Ten Yudra formed one Adra, named so for Adolescence. Twenty Adra formed one Madra, bearing the naming of Maturity, large gold coins. Beyond that, coins of pure black existed that were only used in large transactions and Misa had never even seen one.</p><p>Leaving the shop behind, hearing a faint <em>come again</em> from the Witch as she left, Misa left her purchases at the bottom of her basket, her money protected by her tail and zipper in her back pocket. Luckily the currency of modern days was very light. One of her grandmothers often told her old tales of how the currency of old, the Mayen, had been made of pure iron and weighed a ton. Modern coins were alloys manufactured by the ever precise Dwarven forges.</p><p>Heading down into the Freesight proper, she dove right into the midst of the markets, pushing, being pushed, shoving, stumbling, forging her own path just like adventurers did. Stand by stand by stand, side by side by side, the market was a source of bickering, haggling, shouting, appraising, complaining and general loudness that had been tremendously overwhelming for Misa when she first arrived in Minais Sho. Seeing an Elven shopkeeper loudly haggle with an Ogre had put her so on edge that she nearly called the guards for fear the Elf would come to harm. In the end, and now, she knew that her fears were not just unfounded but making life harder for herself.</p><p>Parking herself smack in the middle between two different fruit stands, she compared prices by looking back and forth. She was bumped into so hard that she stumbled towards the one that looked a bit cheaper but also not quite as polished. The shopkeep there was a Troll who was quite the beauty and handling even delicate produce with utmost skill despite her very large hands.</p><p>Checking her list really quickly, Misa glanced over the offered assortment. “Eight apples, four oranges, five bananas.” Handing over her basket to the Troll, she waited patiently as all produce was placed inside with a smile. All around her was shouting of all kinds, good and bad. Someone bumped into her again and if not for her excellent balance, she would have stumbled and crashed into the stand.</p><p>Nobody stopped to apologize; that was just the place the market was. It was every woman for herself out there. Produce could also be bought in larger stores at the edges of the Freesight or in the lower parts of the Toil but the prices were higher and the quality a bit worse. On the other hand, customers didn’t have to put up with the shoving, bumping, pulling and loudness of the markets.</p><p>“Two Adra, five Yudra.” The Troll didn’t actually say this out loud but held up her fingers – for Adra, one would just show the number and touch two fingers of their other hand into the palm. For Yudra, it was the plain number of fingers. Nobody really made Madra purchases in places where verbal communication was difficult or impossible.</p><p>Paying the Troll and getting her change, Misa pushed past two Blue Oni and trailed a slow moving Minotaur that was heading south. The layout of the markets changed every so often but right now she knew where she had to go. Pushing right through the thick of it, using elbows and even the occasional wing flap to make way, she emerged at the south end of the market.</p><p><em>By Eia… feels like a march through the deathlands every time. I guess. Maybe.</em> She had never been to the deathlands.</p><p>The southern reaches of the markets, where the Freesight’s buildings began proper, were home to many, many a shop. And of particular interest to Misa right now was the Alchemy shop she knew to be there. Other than some convenient store stuff and fruits, this was her last big stop. The only entry on the list after was written out as being in the labyrinth and cited by name.</p><p>Entering the Alchemy store, sometimes called an atelier instead of a workshop, she found nobody at the counter. “Excuse me!”</p><p>The front room, where business was done, was a bit small, about the size of Misa’s own room. Shelves, cupboards and locked cabinets lined the walls, with a large table in the center of the room. The table was housing a few open books, large glass jars with air-tight lids and a number of smaller glasses that were empty and for drinking out of. Paneled in dark wood on all sides, there was an opening for a backroom, next to a wooden counter that had a large, locked strongbox on top.</p><p>She heard a loud metal banging sound. “Be right there!” A young, energetic voice came from the back. Although Alchemy was often viewed as a magic art, it was not controlled or operated by the Witches. Anyone with the means to handle delicate tasks could become an alchemist in fact. Stepping out from the backroom, pushing aside a long black curtain that obfuscated the view, came an attractive looking woman that Misa recognized as being a member of the fox folk, the Youko. Short, shoulder length hair of golden shine, a single smooth brushed tail at her behind, large foxen ears on her head, leathery apron and gloves being worn over a set of old work clothes and a set of protective eye wear bound to her face with an elastic band. “Yes, yes, phew, you gave me a scare.”</p><p>“Sorry. I have a few items I need. Here’s a list.” Misa held out the piece of paper that the Youko took without hesitation. “Do you have everything on there in stock?”</p><p>“Let’s see.. Balriten potion, Melusif potion, Gardena brew… oh, I’ll have to check if I have any dried Jubamini left.” The names of the potions that the alchemist said out loud really meant nothing to Misa. The only alchemy products she knew by name were the Naidaten brew, which worked to get over even the worst hangovers for Demons, and the Nemuti, a type of chewing herb that worked as both a painkiller and potent sleeping agent.</p><p>“What do those things do?” Misa figured there was no harm in asking.</p><p>“You running errands for someone else?” The Youko was searching through her own shelves, pulling one dark blue bottle, then a dark tinted bottle, out of the shelf and putting it on the counter. “The Balriten is mostly for Mermaids but Lamias and the likes can use them too. Makes scale changes and molting go much smoother.”</p><p>
  <em>Must be for Kris then. Probably. Or Tria? I’ve never seen someone molt so… I wonder if she’s okay on her own with that.</em>
</p><p>“Melusif is just powerful medicine for your throat. Anyone can take that. Oh, except Koujous! Don’t let them touch it.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“They’re all allergic to it. Causes their voice to become extremely high, like a squeaky mouse, and it lasts for days.”</p><p>“Okay, gotcha.”</p><p>“Gardena is normally for Trolls but… look, you didn’t hear this from me, all right?” She turned around and waved for Misa to come closer. With a lowered voice, she continued. “It works <b>wonders</b> for smoothing out fur when diluted with water and used in the bath.”</p><p><em>Oh. Maybe Milala wanted this?</em> “I won’t tell a soul. But why is it a secret?”</p><p>“It’s not produced in very large quantities, so if everyone with fur suddenly bought it, the Trolls would have a shortage. And everyone that sold it to non-Trolls would be penalized pretty heavily.”</p><p>“Got it. Not a word to anyone.”</p><p>“Well… I do have quite a lot of it in the back. Not that many Trolls out here. So if you know one or two trustworthy friends…”</p><p><em>Uh huh. So much for the penalty.</em> “What is the Jubamini for?”</p><p>“Medicine for the undead.”</p><p>“The undead?” Misa had met a Vampire once, but she couldn’t imagine what someone so powerful could want with medicine.</p><p>“Mostly for Ghosts and Phantoms. You burn it like incense in an enclosed space and it releases a lot of specific spiritual energy that the undead can absorb to heal.”</p><p><em>Do we have someone like that in the house? I’ve never met a Ghost or Phantom… and I can’t imagine a Vampire living there. They’re all so rich they could just buy an entire store anyway.</em> “Do you have any?”</p><p>“Hm, doesn’t look… oh, wait. I rearranged the shelves a few days ago.” Spinning on the spot, her tail nearly knocking over a bottle, the Youko headed to the opposite end of the room. “Hah! Here we go.” Pulling a very white, very brittle looking herb out of a cupboard, she put it inside a thin paper bag. “Is that all?”</p><p>Misa pointed at the blue and dark bottles. “Isn’t there something missing?”</p><p>“Oh, right. Right. The…” The alchemist looked at the bottles herself. “The Gardena. Give me a moment.” Vanishing into the back room, the alchemist’s behavior really convinced Misa that the Youko were every bit as varied as her own kin. They could be found even out in the boonies in the Demon realm after all.</p><p>Returning with a bright green bottle, she put it next to the other things on the counter. “That all?”</p><p>“Yeah. How much?”</p><p>“Uh… that’s… tell you what, you come back here again, I cut you a deal on the Gardena and make it half off.”</p><p><em>This is probably the closest shop I can get to so…</em> “Sure thing. I just landed a new job so I’ll probably be coming here often.”</p><p>There was a glint of greed and excitement in the Youko’s eyes. “Okay, then it’s a deal. Your total is two Madra, one Adra, five Yudra.”</p><p>“T-Two Madra?!”</p><p>“You don’t have it?”</p><p>“I do, I do… sorry, I’ve never bought at a workshop before, the price just kinda…”</p><p>“These are all luxury products so it kinda comes with the territory. You know, I’m out right now, but next time I’ll give you a vial of Warakia on the house. Works <b>wonders</b> for discharging stress from wings and tails.”</p><p>“Oh. That sounds nice.”</p><p>“That only costs seven Yudra by the way. So not everything is expensive.”</p><p>“Phew, good to know.”</p><p>“So, you buying?”</p><p>“Oh, yeah, sorry.” Getting her money out, Misa’s hands shook a little as she handed over two Madra and change. Two Madra was enough to feed one person for two or three cycles, if they lived frugally. It was forty Adra! Four hundred Yudra!</p><p>“What’s your name?”</p><p>“Sorry, what?”</p><p>“Your name. You got one, right?”</p><p>“Haha. I’m Mirosa.”</p><p>“I’m Erotica Dreamish.”</p><p>“Really.” Misa very obviously did not believe her.</p><p>“Course not. But you should see your face.”</p><p>“Do you joke around like that with all your customers?”</p><p>“Only the cute ones.” The Youko made a very erotically hungry expression and smiled in an impish her attractive way that very few folks could manage.</p><p>“So what’s <b>your</b> name then?”</p><p>“You don’t know?” The Youko looked genuinely surprised.</p><p>“How would I-” Misa stopped and blushed. “It’s… written outside, isn’t it?”</p><p>“Ayakaya’s workshop.” The Youko grinned and chuckled. “Don’t forget! You promised to come shop her again! We can handle all your alchemy needs!”</p><p>“Will do.”</p><p>Putting the bottles and the paper bag into her basket, that was getting a little heavy now, Misa looked at the last entry on her list. <em>Chantelise’s Enchantments in Labyrinth, ask for Siaka’s order… what does Siaka want with magical goods? Are Jinko related to the magical folks? Directions on the back…</em> turning the paper over, she saw the worst map that had ever been produced. She looked at it for only two seconds before giving up and going back into the store. “Excuse me!”</p><p>“Forgot something?” Ayakaya the Youko came right out of the backroom.</p><p>“Do you know a shop called Chantelise’s Enchantments? Should be in the Labyrinth.”</p><p>“Wow, someone got great taste.”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“Nothing, nothing. Uh, how to explain… Head over to central market, then go to the south reaches. There should be a hugely popular cafe run by a Koujou and a Salamander.” The Youko grinned in a lascivious way as she named the owners. “From there you take the street into the Labyrinth, stay on it until you come across a Brothel called <em>Greatest Heavens</em>. From there you go left and just follow that street. You can’t miss Chantelise’s.”</p><p>“I would <b>never</b> have found that with this cruddy map my boss drew for me. Thanks a lot.”</p><p>“No problem. Maybe you can show me if you ever buy something there.” More lascivious grins just before Misa parted ways with the Youko.</p><p>Getting to the next market over involved passing through a lot of assorted alleyways and streets. Carrying the basket all that way was going to get very tedious and stressful, especially considering she had fresh fruit in there and enough alchemy products to be worth more than two Madra.</p><p>Trailing along the corners of the big market, walking in a large circle around the big pushing and shoving masses, Misa headed home. She could pick up that last order later and get to the central market by cutting through the Toil. Considering she likely wasn’t hurting for time she would just take the long road and avoid pushing through the dense market crowd.</p><p>Well on her way to the Toil, she overheard two women that were walking behind her; two other Demons. It was pretty much a given that if she spent a couple of hours out in the city that she would come across a few of her kin. It wasn’t really rare enough to even warrant it being a surprise or worthy of notice. In this case she only noticed because she was eavesdropping on their conversation.</p><p>“A criminal?”</p><p>“That’s what the Harpies were saying.”</p><p>“Scary… and that’s why the Hellhounds were here?”</p><p>“<b>Are</b> here. They’re looking for the culprit.”</p><p>“Aren’t Hellhounds… you know.”</p><p>“These are straight from the homeland.”</p><p>“Oh, I get it.”</p><p>“Yeah. They’re cut from a different cloth.”</p><p>“But did you hear?”</p><p>“About what?”</p><p>“They’re gonna host the annual <em>Combaten</em> in Minais Sho this great cycle.”</p><p>“Seriously? How come that isn’t all over?”</p><p>“One of the Black Harpies told me. They overheard Lady Ristel talking about it.”</p><p>“Black Harpies are not the most credible source you know. Better than a Cheshire Cat though.”</p><p>“This has to be legit. Think about it, usually they announce it during the seventh cycle of Greenbloom. We’re a cycle overdue and no official word on it.”</p><p>“I mean, Combaten is always in late Sunprime, so they got like what, thirteen cycles or so? Lot can happen in a hundred and thirty days.”</p><p>“You don’t wanna believe me, that’s fine.”</p><p>“No, I… I kinda expected it to be held in Maikan this great cycle.”</p><p>“Please, we both know the Vampires would <b>love</b> that and that’s why the council is against it.”</p><p>“Would have been a great chance to go back home for a bit.”</p><p>“Homesick?”</p><p>“No. I just want to tell my parents about us.”</p><p>“You <b>still</b> haven’t told them?”</p><p>“Hey, it’s not <b>my</b> fault-”</p><p>Misa sped up as the conversation got more and more personal. <em>The Combaten… that’s kinda annoying.</em> The Combaten was the single largest fighting sports event in the unified realms. Armies, private security companies and even rich individuals would sponsor, pick or hire participants after showcasing their might. It involved a tremendous amount of tourism. Minais Sho was already a bustling city and it would become rather uncomfortably busy with a big festival like that going on.</p><p>The house came into view not long after. <em>I want a drink. Come to think of it, my room has no kitchen… I need to talk to Rila about that.</em> Heading towards the building, she noticed someone on the lawn. Someone with large black wings, short black hair and bird-like legs. <em>A Black Harpy.</em> Even Misa could tell from the distance. Their black plumage, black hair and large body made them easy to identify.</p><p>Before she could even call out, the Black Harpy made a few leaps forward, further onto the private property, and took off. <em>Did she just land for something? I gotta ask Rila if that’s okay… </em></p><p>Heading inside, Misa breathed a sigh of relief. <em>Money?</em> She took out what remained of the shopping budget. <em>One Madra, two Adra, six Yudra. I wonder if I bought something overpriced… enchanted things are expensive, I think. I hope I won’t be short. </em>“No pickpockets, hah!” <em>List?</em> Entering Rila’s room, she took everything out one by one and left it on the table in plain view. <em>Got everything.</em></p><p>“Surely she won’t mind if I borrow a glass.” Hitting the kitchen, Misa turned the faucet, grabbed a glass and filled it with fresh water. She didn’t understand the <b>how</b> but she did know that water came magically cleansed out of faucets and didn’t need boiling or anything like that before consumption.</p><p>Washing out the glass and putting it on the wooden drying board, Misa left the room, closed the door behind her and headed upstairs. She wanted to spend at least five minutes just sitting before going back out. <em>I already forgot half of what I bought. Mom would kill me.</em></p><p>Getting to her room, a surprise awaited her. Someone had put a small red ribbon on a brand new glass pitcher that now stood proudly on her night stand next to an also brand new glass. <em>Someone’s giving me gifts… Milala? She doesn’t seem the type… Tria? Wouldn’t she just give them to me instead of doing sneaky things like this? Rila? H</em><em>eh</em><em>… </em>Whoever it was; Misa made fists, put the top of her knuckles against each other and then touched her thumbs together; the Demon way to show quiet appreciation. Her mother had drilled that into her thousands of times. It was symbolic of the eight greater demonic gods who were ruled over by the two progenitor gods of the demons.</p><p>The pitcher was even filled, and after wandering about for so long, she could definitely go for a <b>second</b> glass of water just fine. It had a sturdy, large handle, which was a little weird. If it was a gift for her, and her being a Demon, there was no need to buy an accessible pitcher. It was a little more expensive after all. But she definitely wasn’t bothered by it. <em>I wonder who it is that’s giving me this welcome gift. So nice of them.</em></p><p>Sitting, looking at the window, Misa decided that it would be nice to have a bit of a breeze blowing on her. Opening up the window for the first time, she failed. <em>Huh? How does this… this lever is stuck!</em> Hesitantly pulling on it with a lot less than her full strength, she was scared of breaking it. <em>Why doesn’t this… how would someone like Milala even open this? I mean- huh?</em> Misa rolled her entire head at her own silliness. Grabbing the lever, she pulled the large metal handle instead of trying to turn it.</p><p>The window was four square inside a larger square, glass set into each square. To the right side of it was a large metal handle that had been pointing down. Thinking that twisting it around would open the window, she had tried to twist it. But instead it was a push and pull mechanism. The window made a loud clicking sound as something metallic released inside and the window swung open – a powerful waft of river smells hitting her right in the face. <em>Wow, that is, yeah, that is river all right.</em> There was a <b>lot</b> of smell and she couldn’t quite make sense of it any more detailed than <em>River</em>, mostly because the river in Minais Sho was home to likely over a dozen folks.</p><p><em>It’s the second… no, fourth floor, so I’ll just leave this open. Nothing to steal here anyway.</em> Thinking that, she grabbed her dresscase and pushed it under her bed, out of sight, without another thought that could possibly be contradicting that earlier one.</p><p>The room still didn’t have much in the way of furniture other than the absolute necessities, and even then, she had no kitchen. Granted, a Harpy, a Lamia and a Demon all needed vastly different kinds of kitchens, so it made sense that there was no kitchen installed right now. <em>Makes me wonder though what happened to the kitchen the last aide was using… Kakuen? Was it a Kakuen? I think so… they were… were… a people. Definitely.</em></p><p>Leaving, with a mental note to ask Rila for an advance to buy a basic kitchen, Misa looked downward on the Toil as she exited the house. <em>They’re still here.</em> Down below, perhaps a hundred steps down, was a mass of tall, intimidating, charcoal fuzzy beings. <em>Hellhounds are kinda a rarity even back home, I hope nobody freaks out… although it looks like everyone’s taking it in stride.</em> She noticed a few Elves near the Hellhounds, almost clamoring to get the attention of the squad. Elves were considered one of the major races. They were taller, thinner, more magically gifted and long lived than Humans. Other than their elongated ears, it was sometimes difficult to tell them apart.</p><p><em>I’ll take another road.</em> Crossing the street, passing through a particularly narrow alleyway between two large buildings, she could hear people talk through open windows. Large curtains of wood to either side, stone by her feet, she couldn’t really see much of what was above her. Housewalls, sure, a window here and there, but other than that it was almost like an open tunnel.</p><p>Passing through, she emerged on the other side, a much smaller road that branched into four others, two up top, two down, and those roads sprawled out like a spider’s web. The Toil was home to three major roads but in the spaces between them were hundreds and thousands of buildings, ranging from Inns, taverns, private houses all the way to empty lots. <em>I can’t even imagine what a plot of land must cost here…</em></p><p>Setting out, she headed down and took the first branching path right, heading west. Ahead of her was a couple of two, holding hands tightly.</p><p>The first a woman wearing black boots that just barely emerged below a large flowing robe, long roomy sleeves by her arms and the mark of their trade resting comfortably on the head, the huge pointed hat that was the size of an open umbrella. In much more concise terms, a witch.</p><p>Misa always wondered who had engineered the Witch’s dresscode and why every single Witch far and wide, in hot and cold, wind and weather, adventure and home, followed it without fail. As far as she knew, the outfit was really just cloth and there were no magical abilities tied to it. A Witch surprised in the bath could still level the entire building with a Dragon repelling explosive spell as the past had shown. Another thing was that she had no idea where Witches came from.</p><p>The second woman was a kind of being she didn’t recognize. <em>Something… divine?</em> From the back she could see four wings, two pointing upward, two downward, with a faint pinkish tint to it. The woman had long pink hair that was tied up into two large spheres by the sides of her head. Wearing a long summer dress in all white, much of her bronze colored skin was clearly visible to any onlooker. Wearing a simple type of white high heels, she had a rather easy going look going for her.</p><p>Misa was of course aware of the existence of angels, just that they housed exclusively in the divine realm. There were the Valkyries and Dark Valkyries but they were special cases all by themselves. <em>In many ways.</em> She had never seen something divine before so she kind of intuitively felt curious and also kept her distance.</p><p>“You’re going back home?” The not-Witch looked at her partner, but Misa couldn’t tell who was talking.</p><p>The Witch pulled on the brim of her hat and swayed a little to the side, their arms pulled towards the front, now side by side. <em>Their height difference is kinda cute. Just about a head, but still cute. Those double spheres are cute too. I wonder if I could fly that with my horns…</em></p><p>“Just for a cycle.”</p><p>“I don’t like it.”</p><p>“I know. That’s why I want you to come with me.”</p><p>“E-Eh?!” The taller woman stopped and then the Witch did too, turning to face her.</p><p>Not wanting to be caught eavesdropping, Misa very slowly moved to the opposite side of the street and kept going.</p><p>“We’ve been going out for two great cycles! I know it’s a big step.”</p><p>“I’ll… I’ll come.”</p><p>Misa was now past them, seeing the flushed face of the bronze skinned lady. <em>I think she’s the one being asked to go with the Witch… I wonder why it’s such a big deal. Ah, I wanna keep listening but I don’t wanna be rude!</em></p><p>Heading past, she turned the corner and was now on a different road. Right in front was a six way crossroads, left, right, the direction she came from, another road from further up the Toil, and two branching paths downhill. About to head down the western most road, something stopped her.</p><p>A smell. Savory, tasty, fresh. She’d know that smell anywhere. <em>Grilled Ikana!</em> Turning back, quickly squeezing past an approaching Blue Oni, she headed down that particular street in hopes that it was not a private home that was putting such a delectable smell on display. <em>Yes! Yes! </em><em><b>Hah</b></em><em>!</em></p><p>In front of her was a traveling cart. A medium sized, portable kitchen that could serve up to two average sized customers sitting down, or otherwise over the counter. On sale were various freshly grilled seafood products and a number of also fried vegetable treats. Made of lightweight woods and alloys, they were often owned by a duo of chef and carrier.</p><p>These kinds of carts were common all over the city but especially so on the Toil for many a vulnerable customer was much more eager to part with their hard earned money come the sweet, delightful smell of tasty treats to them as they were not too exhausted yet but also hungry from their efforts.</p><p>Misa never had a chance. Reaching for her wallet as she approached, she gulped. <em>I… shouldn’t. But… but Ikana! Ikana! I haven’t had any in a while! And it’s cheap!</em> “How much for one Ikana?” She had not yet seen the chef behind the stall but she took note of a Red Oni lying sideways by the road, staying out of the way and resting. Not paying her much heed, her attention was focused elsewhere.</p><p>“Oh?” The chef looked up as she heard Misa’s question and now one Demon faced another. Her horns were longer, a little more curled like those of a Succubus, and she was shorter than Misa. In addition to that, she wore a leathery apron and glasses. “Taste of home?”</p><p>Misa saw other Demons on the daily but rarely did she stop to talk to one. There wasn’t much need for that after all. The Demon realm was gigantic for her measures and most Demons there wouldn’t have been from out in the boonies where she had lived.</p><p>Nodding enthusiastically twice, Misa tried her hardest not to drool. “How much?”</p><p>“Two Yudra.”</p><p><em>So cheap! That’s like a fifth of what they were at the festival stalls back home!</em> “I’ll take one!”</p><p>“Coming right up.”</p><p>“Ah, Ikana, Ikana~”</p><p>“You’ve not been here long, have you?”</p><p>“H-Huh? How-”</p><p>“The way you’re staring the food down gives it away.”</p><p>Misa blushed but didn’t turn away. “Been a while.”</p><p>“If you’re looking for a regular place, my sister has an eatery down in the Freesight, by east on the river. If you go south from the east market, you’ll see a boat moored to the riverbank. Lots of seafolks there too. Give her some business if you’re ever in need of some good Ikana.”</p><p>“Oh, thank you so much!”</p><p>“I do understand though. I grew up on these too.”</p><p>Misa looked up, tearing away her gaze from the food that was being prepped and seasoned now. “Where are you from?”</p><p>“Originally from Kaima, but my parents got divorced when I was fifteen, so I moved with my first mother to Pargu up by Stis. You?”</p><p>“Manoi.”</p><p>“Manoi, Manoi…”</p><p>“Boring little village down south. About two hours from the Walking Forest.”</p><p>“Hm, sorry, never heard of it.”</p><p>“No surprise there. I wouldn’t have either!” Misa smiled but she was a little sad.</p><p>“Here’s your Ikana.” The other Demon held out a creature stuck onto a wooden stick.</p><p>Handing over two bronze coins with a big smile of anticipation on her face, Misa received her food; a type of yellow squid that preyed on small fish. It was formed unusually in that it had only a medium sized sphere body but eight large tentacles. “Prosper with Calam.” She bit into the first tentacle and tore out a huge chunk of it. “Hnnnnnnhhh!” She squealed with joy at the taste. <em>It tastes even better than the ones I got at Pendreida! So good, so good!</em></p><p>Taking a second bite, her eyes flew wide open. <em>So crispy! That’s gotta be the liver!</em></p><p>Unlike most other squids, the Ikana’s sphere body was really just the stomach while all the organs resided in the tentacles.</p><p>Eating while walking very slowly, Misa wiggled a little on the spot when she finished up the first tentacle and moved onto the second. <em>It’s so juicy! That chef really knew what she was doing!</em> Hastily taking bite after bite until her mouth was almost overflowing with juicy, tender chewiness, Misa stepped aside and sat on a low wall in front of a house. Such a treat had to be enjoyed in comfort!</p><p>Letting the taste linger in her mouth for a bit before moving onto the third tentacle, Misa looked straight up and caught a group of Black Harpies flying over top. <em>Kaya was always going on about what it would be like if we Demons could fly like the Harpies and such… Makes me question her intelligence. Does she have any idea how much muscle mass we’d need for that? We’d be ripped like an Ogre!</em> Enjoying her snack, Misa felt a gentle breeze and just watched people pass by. A Lamia. A Kikimora. Another Lamia. Then a Demon. A Harpy landed and delivered mail, jumping up, grabbing onto a wooden pole, jumping up further to another pole, and taking flight again. A third Lamia. <em>Lots of snake folks around here.</em> A Witch with a treat of her own, a fried variety of fish that Misa didn’t know, sat down across the street. She was so short that her legs didn’t reach the ground from the short wall she sat on and she energetically kicked air as she ate.</p><p>Finishing up the last tentacle, she had only the stomach left now. Licking her lips, she smirked almost. <em>This is always the best part!</em> Biting heartily into the roughly fist sized round part of the squid, it made a loud crunchy sound like freshly toasted bread and a slightly spicy, very savory taste filled Misa’s mouth. Greedily taking one bite after another because this taste was too addictive to enjoy slowly, Misa finished up the last of her treat in a hurry. All she was left with was a wooden stick now that was coated in a bit of oil and savory fluids from the squid. Holding it in hand, she got up and headed down the street. <em>Back to work, back to work.</em></p><p>Passing by houses and plenty of other folks, her gaze was mostly turned upward. Here and there, now and then, a lone Harpy and flocks of them alike flew past. One time she even saw one of the Telltale Wings soar by high above. <em>Flying does make for getting around easy but landing… I think I’d probably crash more than I land. I wonder if there’s courses for routes and such. It’s not like Harpies walk around or anything like that.</em></p><p>Reaching the central main road, smack in the middle of east and west, she bore witness to what was a catastrophe in the making. Two Red Oni were restraining a wildly flailing Minotaur, yelling at her to calm down, while just a few steps down the street, a Blue Oni was yelling loudly at a company of three Dwarves that were on their knees. A crowd was gathered but had left enough space out of fear for getting physically involved. Taking the roundabout way by crossing the street directly and entering back into the alley ways, she headed south through a particularly damp and shadow covered street, then back west, returning onto the main road, down from where the incident was still in process. <em>There better not be any dwarves flying through the air after me…</em></p><p>Despite the many wonders of modern civilization, technology, magics, a mutual understanding that was still a work in process in many ways, incidents occurred every now and then. <em>Wonder what kind of dumb thing the Dwarves did for a Minotaur to go crazy like that… She looked ready to turn them into minced meat.</em> <em>But there’s always someone stupid. That’s just like that Nekomata the other day that tried to dine and dash… </em></p><p>Moving past a duo of Grizzly that were walking awfully slow, Misa had the market come into view. It was, from the elevation she was at, like a large, somewhat circle shaped mess of people, stands and an insurmountable amount of shouting and noise. Come night, one crowd would disappear and another would fill the space. Night loving folks like Nekomatas came out in full force then.</p><p>Avoiding the market itself – going through there once a day was plenty – she headed along the rim of it, avoiding the stands by the far edges as well. There were just too many smells and tasty things to be had there. <em>I’m lucky Mom blessed me with her crazy ability to eat a lot and not gain much weight, but I don’t have the spending money to blow it all on food.</em></p><p>Recalling the instructions she was given, she trailed along the southern reaches and looked for what would be the hugely popular cafe. She didn’t know what a Koujou was, but she had learned about Salamanders in school. They were supposedly related to the nearly godlike Dragons, not that she’d ever seen one, and had red scales and a large tail. She distinctly remembered that touching them without some sort of heat resistance was a big no-no.</p><p><em>Ah. That’s gotta be it.</em> A building of marble white and red bricks, consisting of three floors. Out below on the pavement were many tables, typically seated for two. Going out from the second floor was a balcony, housing what seemed to be like large, elongated tables. Waitresses were taking orders and delivering purchases. Misa spotted at least two Demons. <em>So from here… </em>Heading past the cafe but making note to come back later and check it out again, she headed into the Labyrinth, the many intertwined alleys that had the greatest building and population density in Minais Sho.</p><p><em>So now I follow until I hit that brothel. What was it? Something heaven? Seven Heavens? </em>In the Labyrinth one building looked nothing like another and yet they were all somewhat the same. Tightly packed stone and wood, surrounded by more stone and wood. Competing Minotaur companies often had their own design flair and it showed in a mix and match area like this.</p><p>Heading further, she looked up and saw just overreaching rooftops, here and there a Harpy perching for a breather. The Labyrinth handled deliveries a little differently than other places; because of the enormous density and difficulty for winged folks to get around, much was transported by Golems instead. Squeezing herself into a doorway every now and then to let a Golem lady pass better and receiving that gentle, thankful smile in return, Misa made it far into the thicket of this densely populated place.</p><p>A fancy sign, printed on with red and golden lettering, advocated in very simple words. <em>Enjoy Paradise</em>. Misa looked at the building and there was a lot of unusual things about it. Not the size of it, there were slightly larger, tall buildings like this every other street. Not the black tinted windows that promised total privacy either. Or the enticing perfume that wavered in the air even ten steps out. No, it was the two girls that were out front.</p><p>To the left a woman with short golden hair, wearing a white dress that left just about nothing to imagination, four gold tinted wings emerging from her lower back. She was of average build and holding one of the pipes that Misa knew the Youko preferred. To the right a woman that was almost the splitting image of the first, but veiled in darkness. Bright blue, demonic skin, silvery hair of the same style as the light counterpart, black clad wings. But unlike the other, her dress concealed almost all of her skin from the neck down.</p><p><em>A Valkyrie and Dark Valkyrie? Here?</em> Misa had only seem them around town on rare occasions, always together. <em>Is this the place?</em> “Hey.”</p><p>“Oh, come right in.” The Dark Valkyrie’s voice was soft and soothing.</p><p>“A Demon? This’ll be amusing.” The Valkyrie on the other hand sounded a little snarky and contemptuous.</p><p>“Is this the… something Heaven?”</p><p>“This <b>is</b> the Greatest Heaven. Step right in.” Once again the Dark Valkyrie beckoned her to enter.</p><p>“Just getting directions, thanks.” Misa avoided looking at the Valkyrie too much, but the Dark Valkyrie was definitely in her strike zone. Heading into first alleyway to her left, she quickly put distance between her and the brothel. Not because she disliked such places but because of that Dark Valkyrie. <em>That was… a super sexy woman. If someone like that were to live at the house I sure wouldn’t mind <b>at all</b> to do anything she wants!</em> <em>I wish…</em></p><p>Heading further down the street, Misa looked at the buildings on both sides. <em>So she said I can’t miss this Chantelise shop, but I still have no idea what it looks like. Still weird someone would set up an enchantment shop down here in the Labyrinth. I mean… I <b>guess</b> adventurers and such will have no problem finding it and that skips them the effort of going to the Toil or the Plateau, but still… </em></p><p>Taking a few steps to the right to get around a drunk blue skinned lady – Misa couldn’t tell if she was a Blue Oni or another folk – she continued on. <em>I better retrace my steps exactly or I’ll be lost for hours in this place. I should get a map from the tourism office.</em></p><p>Five minutes passed and Misa was starting to worry. <em>How far do I have to-</em> Something caught her attention. It was just in passing and only because she was not used to it, but a large store front, a building that could easily have doubled as a brothel, was right by her left. A door that could accommodate even large folks, a smaller door embedded into the larger one and an even smaller one within that. But what <b>really</b> caught her attention was the big glass window that stretched across four or five steps of wall easy, showing what it was the shop sold. Feeling the temperature go up a little, Misa was faced with something she was interested in but hadn’t really had the money to buy any.</p><p>High quality lingerie. Showcased on what looked like disembodied marble bodies, ranging from small bodies to large ones, even including Snake and Feather folk designs, the shop was full of lingerie. Her eyes were glued to the impossibly intricate designs. <em>How are these even made? Stitched? Sewn? Magically conjured? If… if I could wear something like that, I think I would get excited over myself.</em></p><p>“How can I help you?”</p><p>“Huh?” Having the world that surrounded her return, Misa looked to her side to find herself <b>inside</b> the store. By her side stood a woman that was on the shorter side of things. Hair of pure, pearl white, tied into a big, doubly folded over knot on the back of her head. A body clad in a golden and purple dress that was showing just enough of an alluring but not voluptuous figure. Skin of even darker color than the divine folk that was with the witch earlier. Elongated ears like that of an Elf. And most of all, an air of mystery.</p><p>“Are you looking for something specific? Everything here on the floor is for sale, but we also take custom orders.”</p><p>“I- er, uh, I- how did I- did you move me inside?”</p><p>The woman, who Misa was sure had to be the salesclerk, chuckled. “Perhaps you were so entranced by our wonderful lines of products that you could not help but wander inside?”</p><p>“Sorry, really sorry, I’m just… say, do you happen to know a shop called Chantelise’s Enchantments? It’s supposed to be… what?” She stopped when she saw the big smile on the woman’s face.</p><p>“You have arrived at your destination then. I am Chantelise and these are my enchantments.”</p><p><em>Oh.</em> The off-hand comment of the Youko made sense to Misa now. <em><b>Oh</b>.</em> “I’m here to pick up an order.”</p><p>“Do you have a receipt?”</p><p>“H-Huh?”</p><p>“I can’t very well hand over order-made products to someone merely claiming to be picking up something.”</p><p>“Oh, yeah, that makes sense. Uh… but… I wasn’t given a receipt or anything like that.”</p><p>“Hm. May I ask who the order is for?”</p><p>“Siaka.”</p><p>“Is there anything else you can tell me?”</p><p>“Uh...” Misa was starting to sweat a little. <em>Stupid Rila! Why didn’t you give me the receipt?!</em></p><p>“Excuse me for a moment then.” Chantelise left her side and vanished into the back.</p><p>Taking a good look around now, Misa swallowed. There were over forty or such models in the very large room. <em>They must have taken out the walls and only left a few support pillars in… </em>She hadn’t been in such a large indoors room ever before. The walls were all covered in deep purple curtains, the floor was a thick, soft carpet that invited Misa to squat and touch it. But she resisted. A staircase was near the door that she had apparently stepped through, leading to a second floor. Another, separate staircase that was more like a ramp. <em>So this place does business with more than just medium folks.</em></p><p>Turning to the left, she looked at a piece of lingerie that was designed for snake folks. The top part for the breasts was similar but not quite the same as the ones she owned herself. Instead of a few small hooks in the back that were horizontally connected, there was a single large vertically connected hook. <em>Is this… for undoing with their tail tip? So it leaves the hands free? Wow… </em>Looking down, she realized she had never really thought about how snake folk actually worked under their clothes. Panties that were made with two clasps to each side, connecting long, thick strings to a front and back part. <em>Oh, makes sense… they are a lot wider by the hips than I am. And it’s not like they can just slip on panties. But with this… although how do they connect the clasps? They’ve got to hold… oh, they hold it in place on one side and then use their tail to push the clasp shut? And then adjust and do it for the other side?</em></p><p>“If you are this interested, I wouldn’t mind putting it on to show you.” A new voice came from her side and Misa nearly bolted away from it, as if she’d been caught in a bad act. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”</p><p>Looking up, she was face to face with a Lamia, a very cute one. Wearing a dress that was more functional than pretty and an apron with many sewing materials stuck to the four pockets, the Lamia was very clearly an employee. She had short black hair, black and gold scaling and was fairly petite all around. “I was just… interested. From a technical standpoint!”</p><p>“Oh. You were.” The Lamia looked happy.</p><p>“This is Katja.” Chantelise stepped out from the back and joined the two. “Whose order did you say you were here to pick up?”</p><p>“Siaka’s.” Feeling like she should perhaps explain in more detail, she added; “She lives in an apartment house that’s owned by a Gargoyle called Rila.”</p><p>“Okay. I’ll have your order ready for taking home in a few minutes.” The Lamia nodded to Chantelise and then slithered away to the back.</p><p>“Just… just like that?” Misa was confused.</p><p>“Hm?” Chantelise seemed equally confused and then smiled. “I had Katja here verify that you are telling the truth.”</p><p>“How?”</p><p>“Lamia’s can smell lies.”</p><p>
  <em>What?! I didn’t know that! So… so if I say something like… I’m not into Tria, she’ll know it’s a lie?</em>
</p><p>“Tell Rila for me that her order has been delayed. There’s been a shipping problem with the materials.” Chantelise stayed company while Misa waited and fretted internally.</p><p>“You know her?”</p><p>“We’ve known each other for a little while. So you are the new hire at her house? I do hope you will make do better than the last.”</p><p>“She’s said the same thing.”</p><p>“How about as a welcoming gift, I give you a thirty percent discount on your first time you buy one of my enchantments here?” Clapping her hands together once, Chantelise looked a bit shrewd.</p><p>“I appreciate it but… this is probably out of my price class. Just… for reference, how much would something be at full price?”</p><p>“Hm, one of our showcase products would only be about five Madra. Custom orders will be more expensive but are tailor made to your every need and image.”</p><p>“He… hehe… five Madra.”</p><p>“Chantelise’s Enchantments will be here if you do find yourself in possession of some money.” Lowering her voice, the lady continued. “Between you and I, Rila will likely afford you the luxury of writing one or two of my enchantments off as a working expense.”</p><p>“A working expense...” Misa blushed a little. “I’ll have to talk to her about it.”</p><p>The Lamia, Katja, came back out, carrying a large, classy looking black bag that had a large ruby printed on both sides with an even larger <em>C</em> encompassing the ruby. “Here is your order.”</p><p>“Uhm… I don’t think I have enough money on me actually… If you could hold the order-”</p><p>“Orders are paid in full up front.” Chantelise smiled, took the bag from Katja and handed it over to Misa, who held the bag like it could fall apart at any moment. “Do not worry, the bag is quite resilient. Now, I am looking forward to future patronage.”</p><p>Before she knew it, Misa was back out on the street, carrying a bag that absolutely definitely contained outrageously valuable underwear for Siaka. Much more nervous now than on her way there, Misa started the return trip. <em>I’m… I’m gonna talk to Rila about getting something like that. I bet I could handle anyone in the house if I had… lingerie from this shop.</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Lore Bonus 3 - Hellhound</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>__Hellhound</b>
</p>
<hr/><p>The demonic cousin of the regular Wolf Beast races, the Hellhound is not at all an artificial race but a proper wolf demon whose native habitat is the demonic realm to the far south. About a thousand years ago, enterprising demons traveled north and brought this race with them and since then they have been living even outside the demonic realm. They are charcoal skinned wolf-like beings with large wolf like legs and arms from the knee and elbow down, powerful teeth large rugged wolf ears and pitch black fur and hair.</p><p>They are considered one of the most dangerous races and while they speak the common language and have their own culture, for a long time their only real employ was as bandits, outlaws and other assorted criminals. This changed about 170 years back when the current demon government issued a broad order to civilize the Hellhounds beyond the demonic realm. Shortly after the Hellhound population was extended to the common realms, a revolution of social norms occurred in the demonic realm and Hellhounds back home considered their out of hand brethren in the common realm a disgusting disgrace and set out to rectify the issue.</p><p>Losing more than half their population in a particularly bloody struggle, Hellhounds then became an elite patrol force, employed by the collective governments of the unified common realm. While many races are intelligent and civilized, there exist still true monsters, beasts and beings that will never adopt to proper civilization. It is thanks to the Hellhounds that one of the great scourges, the Dragon Zombie, is now considered completely extinct.</p><p>Hellhounds are mighty fighters that average 200cm height well standing fully up and can weight up to 200 kilos, testament to their muscular body and ferocious nature. They live only about 40 years, reach maturity after 8 years and seek death in battle or by alcohol as end of life approaches. They can procreate up to four times a year with pregnancy lasting only about eight weeks and resulting in one to two young.</p><p>A community of Hellhounds is called a brigade and functions as such – forty to a hundred Hellhounds make up a traveling army on the roads, patrolling and exterminating undesirable elements. They fight with their large claws and rarely need to resort to using weaponry. Wounds inflicted by a Hellhound fester with demonic infection and require curse breaking to heal.</p><p>Socially, Hellhounds are considered both essential and a nuisance – as long as they are out on the road, everyone loves them as they make traveling, especially for merchants, almost 100% safe. However, when they come to a city to restock, get paid and party, most races find them to be truly obnoxious. Hellhound culture is loud, centers around might makes right and they love to binge eat and drink until they fall out of a chair and just sleep on the ground where they fell. They are the very stereotype of the unruly mercenary, with the key difference of being government sanctioned.</p><p>Many cities have special outskirts establishments that are built cheaply and serve high quantity but only average quality of food and drink – the Hellhounds cherish these places. There they can break a wall or floor or twenty tables without worrying too much about the bill. One of the Hellhounds favorite past time is to simply start a brawl and see how well they hold up to other races and each other.</p><p>Young Hellhounds often seek out companions of other races to try and conquer and prove their sexual prowess. Of particular interest to them are the Lamias races as they are quite powerful physically so bedding one of them is considered an achievement. Hellhounds have incredible stamina, in bed and the battlefield both, and can last ten to fifteen hours without break in either.</p><p>The race as a whole doesn’t make much of fashion, accessories or even material possessions. They prefer things they can eat, drink or spend on those two things. Many of them wear only simplistic clothes that cover their breasts and genitals and call that enough.</p><p>Despite grievances, few would want the Hellhounds to leave and many a bartender or tavernkeep cuts them a lot of slack – especially when they see the Hellhounds brought back the mounted corpse of a Gazer or Sandworm. Their heavy party nature makes the Hellhounds a welcome target for other party-going races and one can find especially the Raiju and Thunderbirds hanging around them.</p><p>Despite being a pure race of demons, Hellhounds do accept capable warriors into their ranks and are known to be sexually active with just about any race that is sufficiently attractive.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hellhound Visual Design based on<br/>http://kurobine.sakura.ne.jp/mamonogirllover/zukan/hellhound/page.shtml</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Going with the Flow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Misa visits the River!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“A kitchen? Well, yeah, you’re gonna need one. Eating out every day is gonna be budget suicide.” Rila lounged in the grass just outside the building, her legs crossed down by the green, the sun dress fluttering in the wind and her gray, stone like her wobbling little by little when she moved, as she breathed even. “The last aide tried that and ho girl did that not work out for her.”</p><p>“So… can I get an advance on my pay for that?”</p><p>“I’ll pay for the kitchen under the contractual stipulation that if you bolt within six months, you pay for it and the cost of disconnecting and moving it back out.” Rila said this with a gentle smile.</p><p><em>Tough…</em> “Let’s hope it won’t come to that.”</p><p>“Demon kitchen… probably fine to just let Monokeno Furnishing handle it. Or do you need anything special?”</p><p>“I’m not a <b>great</b> cook, so standard is fine. If it’s got a stove, couple pots, pan or two, lights and some tools, I can make do.”</p><p>“The others might ask you to cook for them sometimes, so it won’t hurt to take a look eventually.”</p><p>“Uh… I’ll do my best.”</p><p>“You find Chantelise’s place okay?”</p><p>“Yeah, but I had to ask for directions.”</p><p>Rila shrugged. “Landlord, not an artist.”</p><p>“Was totally not the kinda shop I expected from <em>enchantments</em>.”</p><p>“Really? Stuff like proper magic shops wouldn’t be all the way in the Labyrinth.”</p><p>“How come?” Misa crouched now, sick of looking down at Rila.</p><p>“How- think about it for a second. You got any idea how many travelers and adventurers come through here?”</p><p>“Maybe hundred or so? A day.”</p><p>Rila snorted and covered her mouth. “Okay, just keep that in mind if you ever pass by the guild.”</p><p>“Haha, okay I get it, I got no idea then.” She was not laughing. “So where do I put this?”</p><p>“You look at it yet?” Rila vaguely gestured at the bag Misa still held in hand.</p><p>“What do you mean <em>yet</em>? I’m not gonna!”</p><p>“Oh, very honest.”</p><p>“Can you not test me in obvious ways like this please? It’s a bit rude.”</p><p>“A little hazing to get you to drop that guard of yours.”</p><p>“I don’t have a guard!”</p><p>“Not anymore you don’t.”</p><p>“So where do I put it?”</p><p>“Hm, honestly if you hang it on her door it should be fine.”</p><p>“Really? Isn’t that very… conspicuous?”</p><p>Rila frowned. “So? Being able to order from Chantelise is a badge of honor.”</p><p>“Right… right… city life is a bit different from what I’m used to.”</p><p>“So I heard.”</p><p>“Heard what?”</p><p>“I talked to Kris earlier. You know she calls you ‘Boonies Misa’?” Rila tried her seemingly best to avoid laughing; success was mild at best.</p><p>“Are <b>all</b> Mermaids so rude?”</p><p>“No, that’s just Kris.”</p><p>“Speaking of Kris… how does that work with the rooms? Are they… partially flooded or something?”</p><p>“You haven’t gone downstairs?”</p><p>“Been a little busy…”</p><p>“First floor is underwater. Completely. Don’t worry about the foundation though, it’s coralsine, same stuff Mermaid cities are build out of.”</p><p>“So… how does that work with my job?” <em>I’ll not ask about the whole… underwater basement thing. I’ll just have two questions for every answer.</em></p><p>“Mizuuki herbs.”</p><p>“Uh...”</p><p>“I’m considering having a tutor drop by for you.”</p><p>“Please don’t.”</p><p>“Mizuuki herbs do… well, basically they cause spontaneous membrane growth in your lungs that enables you to breathe underwater. Is just a bit gross when it wears off.”</p><p>“Gross?”</p><p>“You ever got a really bad cold?”</p><p>“Ew!”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“Not that<b> I</b> need it.”</p><p>“What, Gargoyles don’t breathe?” Misa chuckled.</p><p>“Oh, we don’t actually. We make it look like we do.”</p><p>“<b>What</b>.”</p><p>“Nice that it’s working.” Rila looked pleased with herself.</p><p>“Anything else I should do today?”</p><p>“Well, most of the others haven’t met you yet, not to mention basically everyone being out at work. Actually, this might be a good opportunity. How about you go down to the Riversight? Ask around for Melodi. She’s a Unagi.”</p><p>“An acquaintance of yours?”</p><p>“She lives in Two-Two but also down there.”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“Just ask her about it. She’ll probably talk your ear off.”</p><p>“Melodi is it?”</p><p>“Correct.”</p><p>“I don’t mean to be rude but what’s the point of going down there if she also lives here?”</p><p>“You’ll probably end up going down there quite a bit for Kris, Roya and Melodi. Just to be clear, being an aide doesn’t mean you’re only helping around the house.”</p><p>“Uh… huh… so if someone asks me to go with them to work and help out?”</p><p>“They probably won’t, but if they do, you will.”</p><p>“Just so I know, what’s my salary here?”</p><p>“One Eldra, sixty Madra per season.”</p><p>“One… what?”</p><p>“Eldra. The black coins?”</p><p>“Black?!”</p><p>“Oh, first time you heard of them?”</p><p>“Uh… how many Madra make one Eldra?”</p><p>“Two hundred.”</p><p>“<b>Two hundred Madra</b>?!” Misa was feeling faint. That was four thousand Adra. Forty thousand Yudra!</p><p>“You forgot the sixty Madra.”</p><p>She sat down in the grass, feeling the world around her reel. That was the kind of money she read about in thrilling books of crime and nobility. Losing color, turning a faint purple, Misa started to breathe harder. <em>Two… two hundred…</em> That was more than both her parents made combined. Breathing heavy through the nose, she started to feel lightheaded. <em>Two- unghg?!?!</em> A hot, somewhat rough something was invading her mouth all of a sudden!</p><p>Her gaze returning to reality, she looked right into the beautiful artificial eyes of Rila. Who was kissing her. Feeling blood return to her head, Misa backed away a bit too slowly for how surprised she was. “R-Rila, what-”</p><p>“<em>What</em> she asks. You looked like you were about to have a panic attack. So I did what I know works best to knock people out of whatever self-inflicted mental chaos they’re having a time with.” On her knees, Rila sat back down, moving a strand of hair from her face back behind her ear. “I’ve never seen someone react like <b>that</b>.”</p><p>“I’ve never heard of someone being paid so much money!”</p><p>“You live here and are on the clock all day and night. If you run errands all day you’re still going to have to satisfy in bed. You’re off for leisure when nobody needs you for anything. So of course this is a well paid position. The top earners in the top brothels make more than that even.”</p><p>“More…”</p><p>“For reference, renting a room here is two Eldra. Four hundred Madra a month.”</p><p>“<b>Four</b>-”</p><p>“Well, I gave everyone a sixty percent discount while we had no aide so please stick around so I can charge what I normally charge.”</p><p>“How… how much are apartments elsewhere?” Misa only knew about hotel prices and one could stay there several days for just one Madra. At affordable places at least.</p><p>“Around a quarter of what I charge.”</p><p>“Wow…”</p><p>“Having a Gargoyle landlord makes a nice difference since, you know, I’m gonna be around longer than they are no matter what kinda folk they are.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>“Also means I keep the place in top condition if I live there myself.”</p><p>“<b>Oh</b>.”</p><p>“<b>And</b> we got a live in aide that’s available for sex.”</p><p>“So basically everyone here’s rich.”</p><p>“Not <b>rich</b>, but at least employed in a good way.”</p><p>“I wonder what jobs Tria and Kris have.”</p><p>“You’ll find out.”</p><p>“You could just tell me, Rila.”</p><p>“But that’s no fun.”</p><p>“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”</p><p>“Oh yeah.” Rila smirked. “Actually, you know what else I enjoy?” Misa didn’t even blush. Leaning forward, she instinctively closed her eyes. “Keep them open. I like seeing them.”</p><p>“My eyes?” Keeping them open, Misa felt her heart beat a little harder when Rila leaned back towards her and their lips met. It wasn’t a passionate kiss or anything. But it felt really nice.</p><p>The smoothness of Rila’s lips was unnatural, but in a nice way. Like a high-quality polished, refined glass sat just perfectly on the lips. Her tongue was a little rough, like a perfectly smooth natural rock in a river bed but hot like it was heated by the sun for hours. She could taste a strange little something on it, like saliva, but thicker, hotter. Like a sugary tea that stuck to her tongue, coating it, heating it up.</p><p>For just a moment she exchanged caressing touches with her tongue, her eyes locked onto the expectant gaze of her employer. She felt her left arm rise, her hand move towards Rila’s body. <em>What do they feel like</em> consumed her thoughts. But before she could find out, Rila parted from her, licking her smooth lips and leaving a glistening trail of saliva, Misa’s saliva on it like lipstick. “Tasty.”</p><p>“Of all the things to say…”</p><p>“I honestly expected you to be a much worse kisser than that.”</p><p>“Sorry to not disappoint.” <em>I’m so glad Maina taught me… over and over and over.</em></p><p>“The others are gonna love it. Melodi especially.”</p><p>“Why her… actually never mind.”</p><p>“You’ll-”</p><p>“Find out.” Misa nodded repeatedly. “Yeah, I figured.”</p><p>“I’d love to have you spend the night with me today, but I have other arrangements.”</p><p>
  <em>I’m… curious. I can’t help it. I wonder how… I mean… I assume Gargoyles are made the same way most of us are… but-</em>
</p><p>“Wondering how that would work?” Rila leaned back so much that she was practically showing off her chest and legs. “With you on top obviously. Golem could handle me, but <b>you</b>’d be yogurt.”</p><p><em>Not exactly what I was thinking.</em> “I don’t mind being on top. Just not a lot of experience.” Misa couldn’t help but blush at discussing sex matters openly, outside, in earshot of the road. <em>This is fine… If I’m gonna make it here in the city, I can’t let something like this bother me.</em></p><p>“I got a <b>lot</b> of experience being the dominant bottom.” Rila smirked. “We’ll find time. Go hang up the goods, take five minutes.”</p><p>Misa had barely gotten on her feet and taking two steps when she turned around. “Say… if I’m gonna do sex services for everyone, you think I should own something like this?” She raised the bag a little.</p><p>“Now that’s thinking like a city girl.”</p><p><em>Not my idea.</em> “It’s probably pricey though.”</p><p>“Well, I’ll get you started with two, but you’ll probably want a specific one that’s just for each of them.”</p><p>“Each?! Fourteen?”</p><p>“Including me, yes.” Rila smiled. “Don’t worry, it’s not that expensive. The fur one you saw yesterday was only forty Madra.”</p><p>“<b>Forty</b>?!”</p><p>“You’re not a Gargoyle, you don’t need specially enchanted materials.” Rila remained seated in the grass, showing off her legs from under her sundress. “Looking forward to your choice for me, though.”</p><p>“My choice?”</p><p>“Of course. Get to know everyone, what they like to see, <b>how</b> they like to see, how <b>much</b> they like to see and what they like to touch and smell. All of that. And then order something you want to wear just for them.”</p><p>“That’s… a bit of a tall order.”</p><p>“You got time to figure it out.”</p><p>“Can I have an advance for food and some necessary stuff like clothes?”</p><p>“What’s your account serial?”</p><p>“Oh… I don’t have an account with the bank.”</p><p>“You expect to be paid an Eldra in the hand?”</p><p>Anxiety the size of the two moons hit Misa over the thought of losing a coin like that. Shaking her head harshly, she turned that idea down. “I’ll open one!”</p><p>“Well, for now, go into my room. First shelf to the left, under the black akusataine pillow is a money pouch. Take ten Madra.”</p><p>“I won’t need that much for food!”</p><p>“You said food and clothes.”</p><p>“The clothes can wait until I opened the account!”</p><p>“You’re awfully worried around money, aren’t you?”</p><p>“I just… I got my last money pouch stolen and…”</p><p>“That happens. Pickpockets are still a thing. Everyone thinks that just because we’re mostly done with murdering each other we’re all done with crime but if that was the case we wouldn’t need the guard, right?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“So take what you think you need. But take enough so you don’t have to come back every day, I hate it when people inconvenience me because they can’t be honest about their needs.”</p><p>“Got it.” <em>Jeez, she can be a little intense.</em></p><p>“Misa.”</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“What’s your endowment?”</p><p>“That question is kinda… well, I guess it’s kinda work related.” Misa was barely even surprised at this point but embarrassed all the same. Nobody had ever before outright asked what size her breasts were.</p><p>“I could make a pretty good guess but I like how on the spot it puts you.”</p><p>“Do all Gargoyles have a mean streak like this?”</p><p>“Maybe.”</p><p>“Five Nume.”</p><p>“Oh, five after all? I would have guessed six.” Rila chuckled at the <em>I don’t like this</em> face that Misa was making. “I’m ten Nume by the way.”</p><p>A Nume was a crude unit of measurement to classify a lady’s chest size. It started at one for very petite ones and went all the way up to seventeen Nume before one had to get custom made garments. Named after the goddess of matchmaking, Numekaide. More specific measuring was only really done by tailors and such for optimal fittings.</p><p><em>Ten… yeah, that sounds about right. Those are </em><em><b>huge</b></em><em>. I wonder if they get in the way much. Like when bending down or sleeping or buying clothes… probably not with clothes.</em> “That’s…”</p><p>“The biggest a Gargoyle can have. I’m a lucky girl.”</p><p>“I’m not exactly well read on Gargoyles, so… sorry in advance if I end up saying something rude.”</p><p>“Don’t worry about that. This is Minais Sho. More than seventy kind of folks can be found here. Probably.”</p><p>“Probably.” There was an <em>are you serious</em> undertone there.</p><p>“Probably!” Rila smirked. “Nobody knows everything. <b>Maybe</b> except the Hakutaku but they are the definition of the kinda annoying know it all.”</p><p>“Okay then.”</p><p>“Are you into this?” Rila cupped her breasts playfully and showed them off to Misa.</p><p>“You mean my preference?”</p><p>“Small? Big? Huge?”</p><p>“Anything’s fine with me.”</p><p>“Yeah, but your preference is what?”</p><p>“I don’t know! I don’t have that much experience!” Misa felt like she should be paid by the blush if this kept going. “Probably… probably all fine with me!”</p><p>Rila looked serious for a moment and then winked at Misa. “That’s a good answer.”</p><p>“Can I go? You told me to go down to the river like ten minutes ago.”</p><p>“Off with you.” Rila fell backwards into the grass.</p><p>
  <em>I can’t really make sense of her. She seems serious about being a landlord but other than that… suddenly kissing me, kissing me again, being all free spirited and easy going… I’m getting a bit of whiplash from all of it.</em>
</p><p>Finally able to step into the house, Misa felt tired. More tired than all the walking had made her. <em>It’ll be evening in a couple hours… I had a snack, but I need to at least eat something filling before bed. A big meal. The kitchen is probably gonna take a few days so… hm… if I go down into the Freesight I can get something really cheap but I don’t wanna gain weight from eating potatoes every day. So I guess I can spend about two or three Adra a day on food until the kitchen’s there? Wait a second… lemme just…</em></p><p>Leaning against the wall next to Rila’s room, she did some quick math in her head. Luckily that was one of her stronger subjects, along physical stuff. <em>I’m paid two hundred… two hundred sixty Madra a season. So four times that per Greater Cycle. One… thousand and forty Madra. Twenty-thousand and eight hundred Adra… a lot of Yudra. So… over five-hundred and twenty days I have… let’s say I can use a third of it for food and such. So around… Six thousand nine hundred Adra… that’s so much money! So <b>much</b> money! Six thousand and… let’s just go with six thousand. Over one Greater Cycle… so around eleven Adra a day for food?! Just for food?! That would be… eleven hundred Yudra! Fifty five Ikana a day!</em> Her stomach growled in response. <em>Shush you!</em></p><p><em>There is no way I’ll spend that much money on food. Mom spent like a Madra a cycle for three people. That leaves me a lot for clothes, furniture and other stuff… Lingerie. </em>Swallowing, Misa recalled the very enticing enchantments in that shop. <em>I’ll have to get used to that stuff. It’s not like I’m really bothered by it, just… it’s something I always saw Maina focus on and I thought I’d have a very different job. Not that I’m bothered by it!</em> She had to convince herself first and foremost. And it was working.</p><p>Entering Rila’s room, she went to the aforementioned pillow, the akusataine one, and found the money puch. There were at least fifty Madra in there. <em>So much money…</em> Taking two Madra, that was plenty for food, toiletries and a replacement shirt, she put the pouch back and left for upstairs.</p><p>Coming back to her room, she found it smelling of sunshine and the river. Almost falling onto her bed, she just sat there for a good minute, letting her legs and mind rest. Reaching for the pitcher without looking too closely or thinking anything at all, she filled the glass, drank, refilled it and drank. Sitting another few minutes, she took a deep breath. <em>Okay.</em></p><p>Leaving her room, she headed for the stairs, turned around, walked past her room and vanished into the bathroom. <em>Better go now before I have to ask some store to use theirs.</em></p><p>A few minutes after, a refreshed Demon left the house. The day was getting on in hours now and it wouldn’t be that much longer until the morning shifts would get off work and clog the street as the evening shift started. Especially the Freesight and the Riversight would get busy. <em>I still don’t get why they had to come up with an entire name for the river section… I mean I guess it makes for easier directions but what’s wrong with just calling it the river? Come to think of it… what’s the river’s name anyway?</em></p><p>Contemplating if she had heard and just forgotten the name, Misa went on and headed down the Toil again. <em>I need to buy some better shoes. Going down is kind of fine but going up in these flat shoes just hurts my feet a bunch. Little jealous of Humans and Elves, they grow up with this stuff so they’re used to it.</em> And then she stopped, looking to her left. She was still several dozen meters out from the lowest points and so she could see the river in all of its glory.</p><p>Emerging somewhere in the far south, it ran through many realms and finally flowed into the ocean there in Minais Sho. With it’s great width of a hundred and forty meters, a steady flow, stable riverbanks and lush vegetation, it was a very lucrative thing for the city to have. Maritime travel passed through and so did the water loving folks like Mermaids. It also offered a great source of fresh water and enabled the city to build water ways. So far she had avoided them because the Labyrinth being as complex as it was already, if she added dead ends, bridges, wooden planks and boats to the mix, she would just get lost for days.</p><p>Continuing to walk slowly as she watched the river, she made out many shacks, small houses, things that were outright built into the riverbanks to last. Like a pier that was more than just that, including living spaces, eateries and the likes. It was just from afar so she couldn’t be sure, but there was one place that caught her attention especially so. <em>That’s… are they ferrying people to that big building in the center of the river?</em></p><p>The view disappeared then, larger buildings in the way that had walls and trees blocking the view. Changing sides to avoid running right into a group of Minotaurs that were likely on their way up to the Plateau for construction work, Misa braced herself and walked right past another stand that was offering tasty treats. <em>Human food </em><em><b>looks</b></em><em> really nice… we don’t eat it a lot back home, but especially that </em><em><b>crepes</b></em><em> thing is delicious. I wonder if that’s made by Witches somewhere? It tastes so magical… </em></p><p>Surviving with her money intact, Misa figured she’d try something offered by the river folks for dinner. It was almost certainly cheap down there by the Riversight and even if she got something that didn’t agree with her tastes she wasn’t gonna lose any sleep over it. <em>I’m just lucky Demons can eat almost anything. Wouldn’t wanna be one of those folks who eat almost only meat. Must be so expensive. Although it’s cheaper here than it was back home. Maybe there’s better trading routes or something?</em></p><p>And then she stopped. Up ahead, just a dozen steps further, the road had been blocked off by the guard. <em>Oh, something happen?</em> Wooden barriers, too heavy for anyone but the larger folks to carry, were in place to prevent passage, with about a dozen guards lined up between the barriers to ensure nobody climbed over.</p><p>The guard consisted of various kinds of folks and anyone could apply, even Misa knew this. She saw a couple of Demons, a Minotaur, an Ogre, two Red Oni. The others were too far away to make them out.</p><p>Squeezing herself past the crowd that had formed in front of the barriers, she was just within earshot of a Demon guard. She wore brown leather boots, a dark green set of trousers and shirt with a small brown pouch by her waist. <em>No weapon? Huh… </em>Misa was used to seeing Demon guards wield at least a short sword just in case.</p><p>“Excuse me!” Misa called out.</p><p>With the professionalism of someone who had been asked, and answered, questions like what Misa would ask at least thousands of times, the Demon guard smiled and raised her voice. “A small Witch related accident took place up ahead. The road is being cleaned right now and is expected to be fully accessible within fifteen minutes. We ask everyone to remain patient. Thank you for your understanding.”</p><p>
  <em>A Witch related accident?</em>
</p><p>“Ugh, this is the second time today. I bet it’s even the same Witch. Really, can’t they rent somewhere in the Labyrinth or the Plateau if they’re going to cause an accident?”</p><p>Misa looked to her right, to the source of the voice and for a moment she thought it was Milala. By her side stood an Ocelot lady that looked very grumpy, wore a black suit and had strapped to her shoulders a very large brown holding bag that was nearly overflowing with white papers. <em>No, not Milala. The face, ears, voice… all different.</em> She also seemed a bit taller than Milala, which was crazy for Misa to think about. <em>Milala’s already so tall… I thought Ocelots were medium sized folks.</em></p><p>The crowd didn’t thin but rolled over – after hearing the explanation, many took to the alleys to get around the blockade. Those that left were then replaced by continuing traffic from above and below. And there were also those who just waited or started to visit the street lining stalls as far as there were any.</p><p>Misa opted for the alleys after waiting about a minute out of pure curiosity. Making it a quick detour, she stopped in front of a particularly shadowy back alley between two large buildings. Within was a street cart, the larger type that allowed a small number of people to sit, eat and drink. <em>Why there?</em> A rather strong, alcoholic smell was coming from the alley and then Misa understood the why.</p><p>Deciding that it wasn’t for her, Misa headed further down the streets and emerged just short of where the blockade ended – right in front of a Grizzly guard that looked at her, nodded to her left and gestured for Misa to turn back. Heading right back and going left and then left again one more time, she came out just south of the barriers.</p><p>Continuing her march towards the Riversight unimpeded from there, she saw the increased crowd of the afternoons at the markets. <em>I’m so glad I handled that first. Guess that’s a lot of homemakers and night shift people buying stuff for dinner and the likes. Well, today’s Streamra, lots of people probably wanting to buy for Tidecall the day after tomorrow without dealing with the insanity of going to the markets on Lakera.</em> Taking a hard left to avoid the market, Misa headed down another slope, a slight one.</p><p>The river being as large as it was served as something as a dent in the geographic view of the Freesight. Once on the riverbanks or the river itself, it was hard to see the city proper, and so it was called Riversight, even though it was officially just an extension of the Freesight.</p><p>As she went down the sloped street, she noticed the buildings change. Wood and stone gave way to a different type of stone; powerfully white and almost reflective of the sunlight. Roofs all slanted in the same direction and interconnected with metal pipes. <em>Oh, for the rain?</em> The streets too took on the bright white of the buildings and she felt the humidity rise with every step now. Smells of fish and many other things she couldn’t accurately place were reaching her nose now.</p><p>Indentations into the roads were here and there as well, with metal grids above them. And then there were the waterways. Canal like pathways carved into the ground next to the streets, tiled with care and fresh river water flowing from south to north through them. They ran parallel to the streets, sometimes crossed paths and a white stone bridge stood in the way of the land travelers.</p><p>Leaving behind the city proper, Misa now stood at the final steps of Minais Sho’s land dwelling reaches; just twenty or so steps ahead of there were the river banks, large segments of mud, grass, rocks and wooden piers holding a multitude of folks, a lot of which she had never seen before. There were houses even, lower than where she stood, seemingly flooded and made of a pinkish white material that was different from the white stone. <em>So the reaches just short of the river are all made from that white stone with mostly one or two floor houses and out here everything is made from that… that pinkish stuff? Pink stone!</em> Misa felt not the smallest bit embarrassed for calling it that and why would she.</p><p>Numerous canals branched from the river all over, leading into the Freesight’s eastern Labyrinth reaches and connected to some parts of the eastern market. She could see that they were only made of the pinkish stone until about a dozen or two dozen steps into the Freesight. <em>Why though?</em> Taking a step forward, she stopped, grabbed the guard rail of the stairs she stood at, and went down. There were other stairs as well, for snake and larger folks. What surprised her was the sheer numbers of winged folks out there, perching on low buildings that barely peaked out from the river, or on poles that formed tiny communities of just their likes.</p><p>Much of the river banks <b>looked</b> untouched by civilization but Misa was not fooled. <em>I can tell. I can totally tell! They cleaned out weeds there, they reallocated some of the land there to make a better, gentler slope, they put a stone wall in there to avoid erosion… a lot of work was put into this.</em> Stepping forward and into the grass, Misa looked to her right, against the river’s flow. <em>And this goes on and on and on… must have taken an insane amount of work to polish the Riversight to this level.</em></p><p>The river’s very edges, its shores even, were on even level with the ground, like a miniature ocean running along the land, gently caressing it with tiny rippling waves of its own. That was more than forty steps ahead. <em>Wow, people even going swimming and stuff.</em> Misa had her eyes on a Lamia that was just emerging from the water, her wet hair sticking to her shoulders and her snake like lower half glistening beautifully in the sunlight. <em>Wow… </em>Tearing away her gaze, Misa felt suddenly very lost. <em>There’s </em><em><b>thousands</b></em><em> of people on this river, how am I gonna find someone who I don’t even know what she looks like? I mean Unagi are… uh… they’re… I’m </em><em><b>pretty</b></em><em> sure they’re some kind of snake folk. But if she’s here at the river… I should have looked the Unagi up in a book or something! Ahhhh, stupid me!</em></p><p>Walking forward without direction or a sense of where to go, Misa figured she might as well get a better idea of the river itself. With the city being a little above, just a few steps worth, it was hard to not view the river as its own area of the land almost. <em>I kinda get why they call it the Riversight now.</em> The riverbeds itself were very flat or gently sloped, emerging into stairs, poles and buildings come the furthest reaches of the city. <em>It’s like a beach. Kinda. A one way flowing beach. And smells a lot less salty.</em> She had seen an ocean before of course.</p><p><em>Maybe I’ll just ask one of the Mermaids for help. Although if Kris is anything to go by maybe I should ask a Harpy instead… But what was Rila thinking sending me down here with just a name and by Calam what is </em><em><b>smelling</b></em><em> so good?!</em> Her stomach growled just from the smell, her stride increased and before she knew it she was pacing up and down in front of an eatery that was mounted into the river itself, with two Mermaids working a floating kitchen.</p><p>The eatery consisted of three parts – a metal platform onto which the land dwellers could walk and onto which wooden furniture was placed. High tables of pinkish stone that were as high as Misa was tall, placed in the water, seemingly held in place by heavy chains of sort that connected to the ground. There were no chairs but long benches that were somewhat shallow in the middle, almost like a hammock. That too was made of stone, looking awfully smooth and potentially fun to slide around in. And finally, on the roof, accessible through wooden stairs, there were several wooden tables that were likely for exclusive use of winged races.</p><p>Entering the metal platform, Misa saw herself faced with a lack of free seating. And as she turned about, she realized that it wasn’t just her who was waiting for an open slot. In the grass sat all sorts of folks. Demons. Nekomata. Another one of those pink winged divine folks. A Minotaur next to what Misa recognized as a Holstaurus lady. There was even a Troll patiently waiting a little further back. <em>I just cut </em><em><b>way</b></em><em> in line didn’t I?</em> Hurrying off the platform, she felt her face heat up. <em>Keep your eyes open, Me!</em></p><p>Trying to escape the luxurious smell, Misa couldn’t muster the willpower to get away fast enough. <em>This is a really mean trap… </em>Succumbing to its lures, Misa looked back at the waiting area. <em>Now, wait a second… everyone’s sitting all over the place. Are they really- ah!</em> Misa spotted a Grizzly that was carrying a wooden tray that was just loaded with dishes ready to be ravaged. <em>Gulp.</em></p><p><em>So that’s how it is? You can still order but you have to basically find your own seating when the eatery is full? That’s not bad… but I ought to find… wait, shopkeepers are <b>very</b> well informed, aren’t they? And it would be rude to just ask for information and not buy anything, right? Mother taught me to always be respectful to the people making your food! So it stands to good reason that I buy something in exchange for information. Hm, hm, makes perfect sense. </em>She paused. <em>I just wanna eat, screw the excuses. Sorry Mother.</em></p><p>Heading towards the eatery proper, she realized that the kitchen was a circle. One could order from the river side or the platform side. <em>How do the winged- oh.</em> Someone who was definitely a waitress, a human girl that she couldn’t even begin to guess the age of, came down the stairs, carrying a bunch of wooden plates with her on a large tray. Just as she came down, four Harpies too off from the roof and flew south. <em>So it </em><em><b>is</b></em><em> for the winged folks.</em></p><p>One person, a short folk with an enormous, bushy tail, just finished receiving an order over the counter and headed back towards the riverbanks.</p><p>The kitchen was on stilts of pinkish stone, with large pinkish stone boxes beneath the appliances, containing river produce so fresh they were still swimming about. She spotted that one of the boxes had Ikana but she had already eaten some that day. The two Mermaids looked awfully similar, both with short, tied up red hair and yellow scaling all the way, wearing form fitting white shirts with brown leather aprons over. <em>If I had to tell them apart I’d probably fail.</em> Misa wasn’t <b>bad</b> at remembering faces but when the faces were too similar, she ran into problems pretty quickly.</p><p>“Hi! Anything you can recommend today?” Misa didn’t know <b>what</b> to order and letting the chef decide for you was always a good option, according to her mother.</p><p>“Vegetarian?” One of the Mermaids, frying some kind of crustacean in a pan that rested on a stove that Misa had no idea how it could possibly work.</p><p>“Everything’s fine with me.”</p><p>“Elna, how far out is Elfa?”</p><p>“She just left ten minutes ago!” The other Mermaid responded in an annoyed voice without even looking. She was filleting strangely round fish with a huge knife at the other end of the kitchen.</p><p>“Mud crab rittosi has been flying off our hands today.” The Mermaid smiled and pointed a stone box that was just below her work station. Misa had to bend down, almost kneel, to get a lot.</p><p><em>That’s a lot of them… crab huh… they look a bit tiny though.</em> “How-” Misa had barely said the first word when the Mermaid pointed to her right, at a menu. Each of the listed dishes had even a few small drawings next to it. <em>Mud Crab Rittosi… so, that’s a crab, that’s… vegetables? And that’s rice? That’s kind of really normal. Rittosi… is that just a Mermaid version of Risotto maybe? Although that seems a bit different.</em> “One Mud Crab Rittosi then. Thanks.”</p><p>“Coming right up. Please wait just a moment.” Putting a second pan onto the stove, the Mermaid reached into the water, under the counter, and pulled out red powder that looked extremely dry.</p><p><em>Was that not in the wat- <b>woah</b>!</em> Misa backed away a step and felt a flash of heat on her face when the Mermaid threw the powder into an opening on the stove, closed a lid with a hole and then flames came spewing out of the hole, heating the pan above it rather intensely. <em>I didn’t think Mermaids would want to work with fire… not sure <b>why</b> I was thinking that. I doubt they ate raw fish for thousands of years. They gotta have been cooking underwater <b>somehow</b>.</em></p><p>“Would you like it spicy?”</p><p>“Normal is fine.”</p><p>“For four Yudra more, you can get an extra large serving.”</p><p>“Sure.” <em>Oh, I haven’t checked the price. How much does- oh, that’s cheap. Not </em><em><b>as</b></em><em> cheap as I expected, but I could definitely eat here every day.</em></p><p>Watching the Mermaid leave the pan on the fire, turn about, pull open a tall box that had no water in it, push her tail underwater on a wide lever, and vegetables rose to the top of the box. <em>How does </em><em><b>that</b></em><em> work? Does the lever make the inside of the box move up? That’s kinda… kinda really smart. Mermaids got all that power in the water and with this- wait, what’s she doing?</em></p><p>Throwing the vegetables into a large bowl, she put the bowl into what looked like another bowl, sat it on a metal grid and pushed – the bowl slid around the kitchen and came to almost a perfectly placed stop in front of the other Mermaid that almost immediately started to take out the vegetables and cut them in record time.</p><p>
  <em>This isn’t just buying food, this is also really entertaining. So to avoid having to swim around and potentially splash water around, they have a system like this where they can share work. When I think about how often Mom and Mother got their wings stuck when they tried to work together in the kitchen…</em>
</p><p>While the vegetables – two carrots, a small round green cabbage and a white cabbage, two red bell peppers and a large fist sized onion – were being cut, the first Mermaid put on a pot with more of the red power heating the stove and she was boiling water.</p><p><em>Oh, so it’s <b>not</b> the river water.</em> Misa noticed that the Mermaid was turning a faucet and then repeatedly slamming her tail onto a bellow like construction underwater. Clean water came out of the faucet and filled a small pot. <em>Should have figured. Would be a bit weird to get water that’s just right from the river being used to boil food.</em></p><p>Swimming over to where dishes and glasses were stacked, safely dry and above water just below the counter itself, the Mermaid procured a bowl like dish and an actual bowl. <em>Huh? So it doesn’t all go together?</em> The bowl was just a bit bigger than a salad bowl and Misa couldn’t imagine what part was going to get in there.</p><p>The bowl of vegetables came back over the rail and was put aside. Then the second pan had a very fragrant oil poured into it. Every little thing, from the appliances to ingredients, everything had its place and Misa was more than impressive by how everything went back exactly where it had come from. <em>But where do used-</em> Just as she thought it, an ocean folk that Misa only knew of but had never seen in person before showed up, hauling with her a massive floating tray that was covered in a wooden lid.</p><p>The ocean folk bore strong likeness of a Mermaid but was less human looking than the Mermaids. She had large fin appendages by her wrists, waist and down by her tail, black sclera like demons did, visibly large teeth as she opened her mouth to talk and large gills just below her rather large chest. Misa recognized what folk she belonged to but seeing one in real life was a bit of a shock. The book she knew them from framed them as violent and primitive.</p><p>A Mershark. Who wore a shoulder and chest covering top that clung to her like it was glued on and a skirt that covered almost a third of her from the waist down, resisting the wetness of the water somehow.</p><p>“Elma, Elna, how’s it going?” She waved as she passed the kitchen and circled around to where all the dishes, bowls and cutlery was placed. Taking off the lid of the floating tray, it revealed to be clean dishes. “Where’s Teta?”</p><p>“Teta’s on break.” The Mermaid that was cooking for Misa spoke up. “I’ll make it up to you but can you help out real quick?”</p><p>“Hm, I don’t think that’s such a good idea. I got my rounds to make and-”</p><p>“I’m back, I’m back!” A Mermaid that had long yellow hair and white scaling came crashing through the water, swimming with high speed, shouting from over a dozen steps out and closing the distance in a hurry. “Jeez Zei, you weren’t supposed to be here yet!” This Mermaid had a black dress on instead and was showing quite a bit of cleavage.</p><p>“Papapara closed up because they sold out so I’m one station ahead.”</p><p>“They sold out?!”</p><p>The Mermaid that had previously talked about Elfa having left just recently reacted pretty strongly to it. Her name was Elma, according to the Mershark. That made the other Mermaid Elna. <em>That must be hell to remember…</em> so Misa thought.</p><p>“Yeah, apparently an adventurer group stopped by and just bought out everything for the day.” The Mershark lady called Zei shrugged. “I’m not paid for floating, so I gotta keep moving.” Diving down below, she pulled up a huge white bag with her that had a long silken cord to it. Tying it around her waist she turned towards the Mermaid called Teta. “See you tonight?”</p><p>“Can’t make it.”</p><p>“Really? Zari will be sad.”</p><p>“Zari’s not gonna make it either.”</p><p>“Oh, <b>someone</b> is going on a date.”</p><p>“Both of you, more working, less running your mouths.” Elna, or Elma, Misa couldn’t remember who was who anymore already, was telling them off. Both Teta and Zei shut up and went about work, the former by the kitchen, the latter swimming downstream from whence she had come.</p><p>Returning her gaze to the cooking process, Misa was surprised. <em>The crab… is gone? </em>Checking both pans, she found that one was frying some kind of meat and vegetables together. <em>So they go together? What about the rice? </em>Looking at the other pan, rice was being fried with just onions and some kind of mellow smelling yellow liquid that seemed awfully like syrup but much more runny. <em>Is this… a sweet dish? No way… maybe?</em></p><p>Distracted briefly by Teta putting clean dishes away to where they belonged, Misa wondered where that large white bag had come from. Noticing the human waitress come up from behind her, carrying three trays stacked on top of each other, Misa watched her.</p><p>“Teta, a hand real quick?” The human girl set the trays down by the edge of the metal platform.</p><p>“<b>Really?</b> We <b>just</b> sent Zei off.” Teta looked back and nearly dropped a plate.</p><p>“What? That’s way too early!”</p><p>“Something about Papapara selling out.” Diving underwater, Teta came back up with another white bag and Misa’s curiosity about them only grew. The trays were emptied into the bag rather crudely.</p><p>
  <em>Doesn’t stuff break if they handle it that roughly? Maybe… oh. It’s wood. That’s smart. Wood doesn’t stain so easily and doesn’t break like those ceramic ones do.</em>
</p><p>“Miss. <b>Miss.</b>”</p><p>“Yes, me, yes, I’m here!” Misa had been so caught up in her thoughts about how it all worked that she was suddenly looking at a tray of her own.</p><p>“That’s one Adra, three Yudra.”</p><p><em>Cheap!</em> Taking out one Madra from her back pocket, she handed the golden coin over to the Mermaid. “Thank you.”</p><p>“You don’t have two Adra?” The Mermaid looked a bit like she was being inconvenienced and when Misa just looked like she might choke on air, she opened up a small metal box, exchanged coins and handed Misa her change – Eighteen Adra and seven Yudra.</p><p>With a really heavy back pocket and a tray in her hands – thank Calam for a tail to cover her back pocket – Misa spotted someone leaving a table on the platform and headed towards it immediately. Only to be cut off by a Nekomata getting there <b>much</b> faster and sitting down immediately.</p><p>Grimacing and frowning, Misa turned to the right and headed to the river bank. <em>Stupid Nekomata and their stupid agility and stupid cutting in line… </em></p><p>Finding a nice spot, an elongated flat rock that was pleasant to sit on, surrounded by grass, she put the tray down, sat next to it, crossed her legs and put the tray on there. <em>Mother would call me a delinquent for sitting like this but this is the big city! Our small time village rules don’t apply here!</em></p><p>Getting a first, good look at her food, Misa wasn’t sure why she had expected it to be risotto. The vegetables and crab meat were glistening with bits of savory sauce, mixed together in the large dish. The rice was in a bowl by itself, overfull and like a small mountain of pure white. There was a pleasant, fatty smell coming from it.</p><p>The tray came with a fork and large spoon, both made of polished and treated wood. It was mere curiosity that made her look along for the Minotaur from earlier to see if they had scaled up versions of the same cutlery. Looking left, looking right, she couldn’t find them anywhere. <em>I guess they must have left… </em></p><p>Eating her food with the expectation of great, uncharted territories of taste, Misa found herself both pleased and disappointed. On one hand the food was really good. The vegetables had a fresh crispness, the crab meat was just chewy enough and very savory, the rice was very smooth and mixed well with everything. On the other hand, this was nothing she would bring up when someone asked about Mermaid food. It was normal. Something she could likely get anywhere in Minais Sho. <em>I’ll have to ask for something more typical of Mermaid cuisine next time. But… ugh… this is… a lot.</em> She still had several spoonfuls of vegetables, meat and rice left over. <em>I’m gonna be rolling uphill on the way back.</em></p><p>Leaving nothing on her plates, as she was taught to do, Misa leaned back and felt her stomach bulge a little. <em>If I had worn that red top, I’d be embarrassed to eat this much. Ruby lining, I guess.</em> Looking up at the sky, she realized that she could see the top of the eatery from there. A few Black Harpies were there, eating. Misa focused as hard as she could but it was difficult to see how exactly they were actually eating. <em>Come to think of it… they don’t have hands at all, how do they even… I’m so curious. I should ask Rila about it. Not like my country bumpkin rating can go any higher than it is.</em></p><p>Burping quietly, Misa prayed to Calam that nobody heard it. <em>With all this money I’ll be making… I would send some back home, but Mom would probably freak out about what kinda job I have to be able to do that and Mother would say to mind my own business and that a young Demon lady has to be capable of providing for herself. So I’ll just keep it. I’ll buy them a new ice box when I go home the next time.</em></p><p>Watching the Black Harpies but also not really paying any attention, Misa just wanted to lie down. <em>There’s a lot of people around here but it’s kind of… not loud? It’s definitely different from the market where everyone is shouting or squeezing together. Not that I doubt this place can get really busy, too. I should come back at another time to see if it’s different. Rila said I’ll have to help out with everyone’s work if and when they ask me, so… what was it, Kris, Melodi and… Ro… something. I’ll find out.</em></p><p>Pulling herself up, standing still, she covered her mouth. <em>I overate…</em> Another burp and Misa felt self conscious now. <em>I am not gonna be the gross girl that eats too much and then behaves like… like that!</em> Picking up her tray, she felt exhausted just doing something like that. <em>Not gonna the extra large again. I’m so full… </em></p><p>Returning to the eatery, the human waitress spotted Misa coming and approached her. “Let me take that. Was everything all right?”</p><p>“Food was great.” Misa kept her sentences short. “I’ll come again. Thanks.”</p><p>“Thank you. Please tell your friends!”</p><p><em>If I had any, sure. I’m not gonna be <b>making</b> any either, probably. I’ll be on the clock a lot I guess, so no free time. </em>Leaving the waitress and the eatery behind, Misa just walked downstream, not paying a lot of attention to anything until she got so far downstream that by her left were the cliffs of the toil. A number of canals went into the wall here and there and she couldn’t figure out where they could possibly lead.</p><p>Finding a large rock just a few steps ahead, Misa sat down. <em>Overeating was a mistake. I can’t think of anything. I just wanna lie down in bed and sleep. What was I… oh <b>crap</b>. I was supposed to come down here and meet someone! Melodi. Right! The Unagi. Would help if I knew what that is. I… just, I’ll just ask.</em></p><p>Sitting there in the soon to be evening sun, Misa looked to either side. There were people walking past in either direction all the time. Demons, Lamias, Grizzly, Lizardgirls, a Golem here and there, Red and Blue Oni, Ogres, Minotaurs, she even spotted a Ghost floating over the river once.</p><p><em>But <b>who</b> do I ask?</em> Sitting there, indecisive, Misa just gave up. “Hi. Do you have a moment?” She talked to the next person that came by, another Demon, wearing the green uniform of the guard.</p><p>“Can I help you?” Her hair was cut short, her wings folded, her tail curled around her waist and she was rather tall and slender looking.</p><p>“I’m looking for an Unagi.”</p><p>“Someone specific?”</p><p>“Oh, yeah.”</p><p>“Hm, I probably cannot help you find a specific person, but other Unagi are likely to know more than I. If you go about a hundred and fifty meters upstream, you’ll find a few Unagi in the water.” The guard turned and pointed at what looked like a collection of assorted huts and shacks having been thrown into the center of the river on a sandbank. “That over there is an Unagi village. If there are none by the riverbank, I suggest simply asking someone to transport a message over the water.”</p><p>“Okay, got it. Thank you.”</p><p>“Happy to be of help.”</p><p>“Uhm…”</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“Are there a lot of Demons in the guard?”</p><p>“Might you be interested in joining?”</p><p>“Oh, no, no, just… wondering. I haven’t been here long and I was just- you know what, never mind, it doesn’t matter.”</p><p>“I can’t say that I know everyone as I’m typically assigned to the Freesight and Riversight only, but I suspect a hundred or two hundred guards might be Demons.”</p><p><em>That many? That’s kinda… reassuring actually.</em> “Thanks.”</p><p>“First time in Minais Sho?”</p><p>“Yeah. Also first time in any really big city, if I’m honest.”</p><p>“Don’t hesitate to turn to the guard. We know the city well and while we’re not as well versed in tourism effects as the guidance, we can at least typically point you in the right direction.”</p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p>“Is that all?”</p><p>“Yes, thanks again.”</p><p>“Happy to help. Truth be told, you’re the first person to ask me anything today. Is my face that unpleasant?”</p><p>“I don’t think so.” Misa tilted her head and gave the guard lady a longer look. “Cute even, I might say.” <em>Sexy if she wore better clothes.</em></p><p>“Cute?” The guard chuckled. “Thanks. Then, I’ll be off.” Putting her knuckles together but keeping her thumbs stuck to her index finger, the guard gave the polite demon greeting-goodbye gesture. Misa returned it.</p><p><em>Walking back, huh… </em>Flapping her lips, her tail sagged and she felt her wings twitch. <em>Normally I wouldn’t even <b>think</b> about that but this rice crab thing is just like I ate rocks… super delicious rocks but my body is super refusing to move on from being way too full. But enough complaining. Get your butt up, me!</em></p><p>Walking back, Misa kept looking at the river, seeing Mermaids swim about, the odd Mershark haul something and even a few water folks that she couldn’t identify at all, seeing them just in passing. <em>I really should have paid </em><em><b>way</b></em><em> more attention in world civilization class… </em>Finding fur covered snake folks by the riverbank, bathing in the sun, curled up into a sideways eight shape next to each other, always two of them together, Misa wondered what they were. <em>I am </em><em><b>so</b></em><em> buying an introduction book to all the civilized folks before I go home! </em><em><b>Definitely</b></em><em>!</em> <em>I’m embarrassed at myself for how often I am going </em><em><b>what’s that</b></em><em> and </em><em><b>what kind</b></em><em> and so on! </em>A Demon that stopped wanting to improve was a bad Demon indeed.</p><p>Nobody was talking or disturbing the sunbathing ladies and so Misa was hesitant to do that either. <em>Are these the Unagi? I feel like… they’re not.</em> Keeping going, she finally got a glance at the village that flourished in the middle of the river. <em>Oh. </em><em><b>Those</b></em><em> are Unagi.</em></p><p>Turning her gaze sideways, Misa wanted to slap herself. Just three steps to her right were two Unagi, their top halves on towels just out of the water and their lower halves, which resembled a protected creature called the Eel, were submerged into the water.</p><p>With fin like appendages, much like a Mershark, by their hips, much of their back was covered in oily, slick looking black skin that contrasted with the pale white of the parts that dominantly human like skin. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say Lamia or Mermaid like skin. Their ears were fin like appendages as well, extending out from where ears would typically be for most folks. <em>If those are they ears</em>, Misa thought. “Excuse me.”</p><p>The Unagi closer to her had a long black ponytail while the one further away had a very short haircut. With a lightning fast movement, raising her arm and stretching out her index finger, the closer Unagi brought Misa to a full stop. “One moment. So as I was saying, the new canal work is <b>so</b> good. They really improved. Those Dwarves seriously know what they are doing.”</p><p>“Yeah but without the Minotaurs there’d be no canals.”</p><p>“What are you talking about? The subterranean ones are made by Golems.”</p><p>“Oh. Yeah. Makes sense.”</p><p>“Cave-ins and such, right?”</p><p>“No problem for a Golem. Makes you wonder though, do they get scared when it happens?”</p><p>“Wouldn’t <b>you</b> be scared if you got trapped in a small space even though you can just keep breathing? Or don’t need to breathe.”</p><p>“Good point.”</p><p><em>Uh… </em>“Excuse me.”</p><p>The closer Unagi turned around. “Yas?”</p><p>“Uh… I…” <em>Yas?! Is that a greeting? Is it rude if I don’t return it? But what if it is only for Unagi?!</em></p><p>The other Unagi looked past the first. “Don’t mind her, she’s just a weirdo that’s putting way too much effort into learning ancient Lamis.”</p><p>“Ancient… okay, uh, I was wondering, do you know an Unagi called Melodi?”</p><p>“At least two of them.” The closer one answered.</p><p>“Two?!”</p><p>“You mean three.”</p><p>“Oh, the new youngling? Her name was decided?”</p><p>“Yeah, Singsa won the lottery.”</p><p>“Lucky.”</p><p>“I bet she cheated somehow.”</p><p>“Singsa? I don’t see it.”</p><p>“It’s always the really nice ones that are secretly evil like that!”</p><p>“Does either of those two Melodi you know also rent an apartment up on the Toil?”</p><p>“The Toil?” The closer one touched her hand to her face. “I don’t think-”</p><p>“One of them does.”</p><p>“What, really? On the Toil?”</p><p>“That super expensive place. Remember? She was saying that if they don’t fix the… what was it? Something. They had to fix something or she’d move out.”</p><p>“Oh, yeah. Yeah! I remember!”</p><p>“Which Melodi is that?” <em>To begin with, how do they tell them apart without context? Do Unagi only have a first name?</em></p><p>“Opris Midly Fortia,” The one further away said.</p><p>“What?” <em>What.</em></p><p>“That’s her full name. Melodi Opris Midly Fortia.” The closer one explained.</p><p>“You didn’t know?” The further one asked.</p><p><em>So long! Long!!</em> “Thanks. Uh. Can you tell me where I can find her?”</p><p>“I haven’t any idea.” The closer one shrugged and then the other one did, too.</p><p><em>Great.</em> “Thank you. At least now I know her full name.”</p><p>“Did she do something bad?” The further one asked.</p><p>“Nothing like that. I work at the house she rents a room at.”</p><p>“Oh, interesting! What’s that like?” The closer one wanted to know.</p><p>“Only started yesterday. Busy.” <em>And already doing lingerie errands and stumbling around blind at the Riversight… </em>“And I’m sorry to leave like this but I need to go find her.” <em>I don’t remember <b>why</b> though. Something… with my salary and Rila kissing me.</em></p><p>“No problem.” The closer Unagi didn’t pay Misa any more attention and immediately looked towards the other one. “Like I was saying, the canals are <b>really</b> smooth. I couldn’t even find a single tile as I went through.”</p><p>“How crazy is that?”</p><p>“Totally crazy.”</p><p>Misa left them behind quickly. <em>I could have asked them to go ask on their little village island thingy but it didn’t sound like they live there together. So… wait a second, if she has the money to rent from Rila, she must be working a job that pays a lot. Come to think of it, the same is true of Kris. What could someone so rude… I’ll just ask Rila later.</em> <em>But what kinda job would an Unagi be doing… maybe brothel work? The top earners make a fortune. Are Unagi popular? </em><em>There’s demand for everything, but… ugh, I should have asked Rila a </em><em><b>lot</b></em><em> more questions! This is impossible! It’s crazy lucky I even found someone that knows her!</em></p><p>Heading upstream, Misa frowned. <em>Am I even gonna bother to keep looking? There is no way I’ll just randomly find her in all of this. The river banks are hundreds and hundreds of steps long, maybe even thousands, there is </em><em><b>no way</b></em><em> I’ll just find someone at random.</em> She frowned harder and looked at the sky, some kind of majestic winged folk passing over her. <em>I’m going home.</em></p><p>Turning her stride towards the city was easier said than done however. The Riversight had mostly water folk entrances into the city and she couldn’t use them. No, she had to go all the way back to where the Freesight connected to the Riversight and retrace her steps. <em>Would it kill them to have some extra stairs somewhere?</em> Looking straight up the cliff of the Toil, Misa felt humbled. <em>Okay, maybe it wouldn’t kill them but kill anyone trying to get up like… sixty floors of stairs. Or whatever height this is.</em></p><p>Returning it all the way back to where she had entered the Riversight, Misa had to fight against a massive stream of people that all of a sudden wanted to go right into the direction she came from. Squeezing through by the edges of the street, sometimes stepping out of the way instead of fighting the flow, Misa took a quick break by sitting down on a wall. <em>I should be more thoughtful of my actions. Just going down here thinking I’d have to ask a few people… I didn’t even know what an Unagi was. I feel kind of pathetic… I need to study. Hard! I can do this! I might not be the best at studying, but this is life… well, not life or death. More like employment or disgraceful failure. Life or death!</em></p><p>Making it to the market, Misa flapped her lips and took a deep breath. Before her laid the absolute worst crowd that she had ever seen. To the very reaches of the market were people lined up, squeezing together to get through and browse the wares. And there were even more merchants now. She saw a bunch of Dwarves set up shop with just a carpet, a wooden stool and a money box. <em>Huh, this stuff looks actually pretty cool. What’s this do?</em> Reaching for a small gadget that had two handles and a round head with a spring between the handles, she just barely managed to resist. <em>No, going home! And explaining to Rila how I couldn’t find Melodi and that I will do better about prep…</em></p><p>The streets were clogged and the sun was setting. A loud crowd was taking to the city now. Minotaurs, Red Oni, Ogres, in large numbers. So much so that when a company of more than twenty of those came heading down the Toil, everyone stepped aside. It was a slow, stressful journey to the house and Misa took a break, seeking shelter in an alleyway. It was the same one she had been to before, to get around the blockade. <em>Oh yeah, there’s not even a hint of that anymore. Wonder what that was all about.</em></p><p>Despite the main streets being so overly full, the alleys were the same as always. A few people here and there but nothing that made her want to get away. <em>I’m fine even during festivals back home but this… is a bit much. It’s like an actual river of people.</em> She took it slow, a leisurely pace that betrayed how much she didn’t want to return to the main road and rather find her way home through the ever complex network of alleyways.</p><p><em>If I remember right… There it is. That place.</em> Misa let out a deep sigh. <em>It’s a bit of a waste but the food was cheap and I’m paid well, so… let me have a drink.</em> Heading towards the shadow filled, dimly lit alley from before, she approached the street cart that smelled strongly of a sweet alcohol. Pushing aside the curtain like decorations that were in place to somewhat hide who it was that sat at the cart, Misa took the spot to the left, sliding to the edge of a wooden bench. “Do you serve Vakdi?” She asked before even looking at the owner. <em>Just one or two drinks so I can get through the evening and night. Just in case… someone asks for me.</em></p><p>=== Minais Sho ===</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you have suggestions for how to improve the environmental descriptions, please let me know!</p><p>Also no lore bonus this time, sorry! Unagi, Mermaid and so on at a later time!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Liquid & Courage</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Misa meets the resident of Three-One!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Returning home with only a tingle on her face, a buzz in her stomach, she had pushed under her frustration of how unprepared she really was on everything. At least most of it. <em>Sun’s gonna be down pretty soon. Days getting longer already and we’re only halfway into Greenbloom. I need to get blinds for my window before Sunprime or I’ll be up with the sun and not get enough sleep.</em> “Hah.” <em>Listen to you, me, errr, me, you? Already making Sunprime plans. Still like eight cycles… wait… </em></p><p>Doing a quick finger count, she paused. <em>Okay so… seventh cycle. So eighty days, right. Eighty two until the first Sunprime. Plenty of time. Come to think of it, am I getting paid half a season’s worth? Or am I being paid by the cycle? I never managed that much money before… wait, if I’m paid by the season, wouldn’t that end up uneven? </em>She frowned. <em>One more for the ever growing ‘ask Rila’ list it is.</em></p><p>She had barely set foot on the property when loud wing flaps caught her attention, soaring past above her, feathering the inertia and coming to a halt on what was the roof. <em>Caldamn! The one time I don’t look up right away!</em> She’d just missed seeing what kind of tenant was up on the sixth floor. <em>Maybe it’s just someone stopping by. Maybe.</em> <em>Or </em><em><b>maybe…</b></em><em> I should just sneak up real quick and take a look! I’m basically like a maid too, right? So finding a maid in the room just in case someone comes back wouldn’t be… </em>She rubbed her temples. <em>Listen to yourself. Mom would shake her head at me like I’m insane.</em></p><p>With just one more step, Misa’s jaw dropped. Out the door came a woman in all black. Hair so long she couldn’t tell where it would end, skin so white it put the pure stone of the Riversight to shame, a dress that screamed high-end top to bottom, emphasizing her thin waist, her chest, cutting deep to reveal skin all the way up to her thighs. High heeled shoes with little black roses adorning the front and back. Long decorative sleeves that trailed behind her like a gentle breeze’s kiss. Eyes that looked right past Misa, towards the road. And from behind, Misa could hear a carriage approaching, the characteristic wooden wheels hitting the pavement.</p><p>For once, she recognized who, or rather, what, the woman was right away. <em>A Banshee!</em> Of all the folks she had seen in her life until then, none compared to the dark and gloomy beauty of the Banshees, a rare and exceptionally gifted folk. <em>She even looks a little like Lady Jinsavilra!</em></p><p>Misa just froze up completely, unable to say anything or even turn her head as the Banshee gracefully flowed past her, as if her steps did not even touch the ground. Just when she had passed, the spell broke on Misa and she flung about, seeing a well dressed Demon help the Banshee into a carriage. <em>Wow… that </em><em><b>must</b></em><em> be the person that Rila was waiting on earlier. I mean I get it… a Banshee is just </em><em><b>hot</b></em><em>.</em> <em>I wonder where she works? </em><em><b>Must</b></em><em> be on the Plateau, but girl… I hope Rila can get tickets for her performance. Wait… did Rila have her perform in private? Is that… nah, that- there’s no way. So that leaves… sex? Is Rila sleeping with a Banshee? </em><em><b>Caladamn</b></em><em> I’m jealous!</em></p><p>Hurrying inside, the carriage long gone, Misa looked for Rila. <em>Banshee, Banshee, Ban-</em> “Rila!”</p><p>“Oh, you’re back?” Rila was just leaving her room, dressed in an elegant white dress that really accentuated her skin and unchanging figure. Her wings in particular were covered with small veils, making them appear almost like the wings of a divine folk. She leaned and looked past Misa. “Where’s Melodi?”</p><p><em>Oh right. Fuck.</em> “I… couldn’t find her.”</p><p>“Because you went off half-cooked?”</p><p>“Ugh… yeah. Uh… are you going somewhere?”</p><p>“Evidently so.” Rila didn’t seem to care much about the Melodi situation. “Is there anything pressing you wanted from me?”</p><p>“Uh, oh, yeah, right! That Banshee just now! Are you going to see her perform?!”</p><p>“I don’t dress up like this for the brothels.”</p><p>“Ah, you’re so lucky.”</p><p>“You’ll be able to come in time. It’s pricey but you’re well paid.”</p><p>“Really?!” Misa’s entire face was a singular expression of anticipated joy.</p><p>“I didn’t think you would like theater.”</p><p>“Go and find me a Demon who doesn’t!”</p><p>“There’s probably some.” Rila moved her tail past and used it to push Misa to the side like she weighed nothing. “I’ll be back late. It <b>is</b> your first full day but I trust that will not be an issue? You’re here to make <b>my</b> life easier after all.”</p><p>“I can handle myself.” <em>It’s not that I <b>really</b> want this job but… it pays well, there’s a lot to term… I might even get tickets to the theater through Rila! And it’s a lot less monotone than other jobs. And what Demon won’t rise to a challenge presented!</em></p><p>“Knock at Four-One if you are in real trouble.”</p><p>“Okay, got it.” Misa paused just a breath. “Why Four-One?”</p><p>“I will see you tomorrow, Misa.”</p><p>“Right!”</p><p>Heading out the front, Misa gazed down and saw something incredible. Wearing high-heel boots with perfect lacing, every single step of Rila’s had her tail move in the tiniest bit of opposition to her then dominant foot. <em>So… classy. </em>Turning about and looking down the corridor, Misa took a deep breath, stood as straight as she could and attempted to emulate the walk. <em>This… is a lot harder than I thought.</em> Her tail, when not focused on sticking still to a position, wagged towards her moving leg, not in the opposite direction. <em>Ugh… this… is… not… I won’t be… so easily… beaten!</em> As she reached the stairs her tail cramped up and she held onto the corner. “Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, owwww!”</p><p>Standing there with her tail twitching and a sharp sense of pain hitting her in waves, Misa cursed unintelligibly under her breath. <em>How does she make that look so easy?!</em></p><p>Someone behind her breathed loudly, something more subtle than clearing their throat but no different in meaning. Misa limped to the side further, her back receiving the pain from her cramping tail muscles. Looking at who walked past her and then stopped a few steps up the stairs, she saw a giant of a woman. Neatly tied together hair below the neck on her back, a gentle yellow in color, front bangs completely pulled back to leave her field of vision unimpeded. Her arms and legs were almost entirely animalistic and huge. Great, mighty paws and feet, clad into gloves and boots, the latter strapped on and with a thick platform support and heels that made the already giant lady even taller.</p><p>At the top of her head sat short, lightly triangular ears that twitched lightly as she walked past and had then turned, facing Misa. Her chest was nothing short of huge and even through the no doubt extremely expensive looking suit and pants she could see the muscles that woman had. From her back, a tail rose like a fishing hook, striped and perfectly smooth fur. There was no doubt; she could have beaten Misa to mush in seconds, were things as they had been thousands of years ago.</p><p><em>Hot…</em> <em>I mean… wow. She’d break me in half, but also… hot.</em> Misa’s lustful thoughts reflected in her gaze did not go unnoticed.</p><p>“The new Demon girl that was hired, yes?” Her voice was a bit higher than what Misa expected, not as high as Tria, more like a middle between Rila and Kris. Kind of deep but not nearly deep enough for giant gladiator lady in a suit with killer paws.</p><p>“Uh-”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>Misa’s mouth just closed and opened at the woman’s steel like gaze.</p><p>“If you speak to me, no <em>uh</em> or <em>er</em> or <em>oh</em> or <em>ehm</em>s. Am I making myself clear?” She still looked down on Misa from the side then. “I already deal with insufferable idiots that can not speak a clearly formulated thought at work. I will not have to deal with this at home.”</p><p>“Okay. Got it. Trying-”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>
  <em>Give me a break lady.</em>
</p><p>“You will not <b>try</b>. You will <b>do</b>. Just as you will <b>do</b> your job here instead of <b>trying</b> to do your job here.”</p><p><em>She’s such a hardass… she reminds me of Mom’s sister, the one that married the… the… what was it? Right, the something or other Cat!</em> “I will. I-” <em>Uh…</em> “Don’t know who you are, yet.”</p><p>“I live in Three-One.”</p><p>“Something you want upstairs?”</p><p>“I am not letting you into my room in-” She gestured with what equaled an index finger at all of Misa. “Whatever it is this is supposed to be.”</p><p>“My clothes?”</p><p>“Do you have nothing more appropriate? This is not a rooming hotel on the road.”</p><p>“Not as classy as a suit.”</p><p>The lady sighed, visibly disappointed. “In that case I have no choice now, do I?” Retracing her steps and coming back down, Misa glanced down, getting a better look at the boots. They were clearly made for very large footed individuals and despite that, they managed to retain a fine, elongated shape like Demons, Gargoyles or Succubi would wear.</p><p>Feeling like prey that was sized up when the woman looked at her sideways, Misa swallowed. <em>Kinda feels like she might eat me and not in the pleasant way like Maina showed me.</em> “Are you returning to work?”</p><p>“Certainly not.” The lady sighed. “Follow me.” Walking very slowly through the hallway back towards the front door, they stopped. “Take the bag.” Misa did as she was told and retrieved the fancy lingerie bag from the door handle. The woman then moved her tail, which was much longer than Misa had initially thought, and fished an iron key out of her right pants pocket, the tail shapely going through a large ring onto which a number of keys were fastened. With far more finesse than Misa thought possible with paws so large, the lady balanced the key into the space between two of her finger like paw extensions and squeezed it in place, wielding it almost like fisticuffs. It couldn’t budge or fall and just like that, the woman unlocked the door.</p><p>“I still don’t know your name.” It was time to stop gaping and get her mouth working properly.</p><p>“Essette Siaka Vittati. Siaka is fine.”</p><p><em>So <b>that</b> is Siaka? How did Milala survive getting into a fight with her?</em> “Are you and Milala going to continue fighting?” <em>Oh shit I asked that without thinking.</em></p><p>“That depends on you.”</p><p>“<b>Me</b>?!”</p><p>“The reason Milala and I fight is because her lifestyle is… grotesque. The smells, the disgrace… she’s a plague upon all of us that wear fur as she is now. I cannot tolerate that.”</p><p>“I washed all her things and made her take a shower.” <em>And I am gonna make Caladamn sure she’ll take a shower at least every other day!</em> “I also cleaned up her room. As long as I am here, she’ll look and smell nice!”</p><p>Smiling, Siaka walked into her room. “That is reassuring.”</p><p>Following Siaka – Misa suddenly remembered that she had been told several times that Siaka was a Jinko – into the room, Misa felt like she had entered a different world. Rila and Milala both had very different rooms, but this was a whole new level.</p><p><em>If I had to sum this up in one word, then… Obsessively tidy would be it.</em> <em>Two words. Who cares.</em></p><p>Directly to her left were small metal contraptions settled on the ground, six of them total and four of those filled with similar kinds of footwear as what Siaka wore now. Unable to resist looking closer, metal springs were placed at the back of each contraption, keeping the footwear stable. <em>Oh I get it. She steps in by pushing them back, then the spring creates… definitely not enough pressure to let her pull out her feet.</em></p><p>Siaka demonstrated how exactly it worked for Misa. Stepping into the contraption that perfectly fit her boots, two long metal bars to each side with smaller ones at the front and back, the contraption made a loud <em>shhkk</em> sound as the spring was pushed back. She hadn’t seen it until now but the boots had metal clasping with small levers that had rings attached to them at the back. From there, Misa kind of figured it out. Siaka used her tail to go through the rings, opened up the clasps and much like a zipper opening, she stepped backward out of the firmly in place rooted boots.</p><p>Just next to the shoe space was a very tall, very small shelf with six very small, perhaps only two by two hand lengths, compartments into which each were placed gloves of various kinds. <em>Black, white… are these striped like her tail? Kind of pointless isn’t it?</em> <em>How does- here we go.</em></p><p>Unlike the shoes, the gloves had no clasps. They were slid on and off. This too Siaka did with her tail. Each glove had iron rings fastened to two spots near the top and the bottom center, allowing her tail to go through them all and create an evenly distributed pulling force. Sliding the glove off like she had done it thousands upon thousands of times, she revealed enormous paws of darken yellow with stripes across. The gloves were put into the compartment by her tail, neatly next to each other.</p><p>From there on, the rest of the room still didn’t lack impact. A wall mounted cabinet that had a typical wooden handle, contrary to what Misa expected, was placed there and she couldn’t help but wonder what would be inside. In the far corner to the left were stairs. <em>Huh?</em> Misa followed the stairs to a mounted bed that was just beneath the ceiling. The thickness of it had to be at least two deluxe mattresses stacked on top of each other. A smooth cloth was tightly wound over it all. But most important, a large comforter that Misa was sure of was going to be murder in Sunprime rested at the foot end of the bed.</p><p><em>Wait a second.. those stairs don’t reach up far enough! I’d have to… climb? How does she… oh I guess if she’s that tall, if the stairs went high enough for me, she’d have to crouch.</em> Siaka was, by Misa’s estimation, six or seven heads taller than she was, which put her almost on the level of someone like a Red Oni or a Minotaur. <em>I wouldn’t put it past her to win against one of them in a fight. Just how tall <b>is</b> she? Like… over two steps for sure, maybe close to two and a half? About a head short of that?</em></p><p>Next to the bed was a large desk, clearly manufactured for people with Siaka’s size in mind. Instead of papers, as Misa had expected, there were mostly bottles and small vials on it. And then it hit her. <em><b>By Calam</b> the room smells like booze! Like… like someone distilled two bars down into a room!</em></p><p>Next to the desk was a shelf with more of the same, bottles upon bottles, all of them with corks or caps. <em>How does she open these?</em> <em>I mean given what I saw so far… with her tail somehow but… now I’m curious</em>. The window was freed up and had a low cabinet of solid wood beneath it, again with bottles on the top. Then, almost finally so, were wardrobes, two of them, side by side, with large handles. <em>Oh.</em></p><p>Misa looked at Siaka just in time to see something impressive. The Jinko’s tail slipped into the tightly fitting leg hole of her pants and from the inside out it pulled on something. Slowly and evenly the legs of the pants extended and extended until they were so wide that Siaka’s large paw feet would be able to fit through. <em>I have to know how that works on the inside.</em></p><p>Repeating it for the other leg, Siaka simply applied pressure through her paws to the sides of the pants and pushed them down, revealing her underwear to Misa. A pair of crimson red and gold panties that looked like they were from Chantelise’s. The material was so smooth and soft looking that the covers of her own panties would have paled in comparison quite deftly.</p><p>In the center of the room stood a round table for one, with a single chair that looked to be made of sturdy wood. <em>I wonder if this is another one of those borderline impossible to move things like Rila’s chairs.</em> Siaka placed the pants over the backrest and then proceeded to repeat the process with the sleeves of her shirt, opening them wide from the inside with her tail and then simply using her tail like a lift to pull the shirt over her head, revealing a bra of crimson and gold beneath that made Misa question if Banshees were really the only thing she was very hot for.</p><p>Looking away for her own sanity, she noticed that the kitchen in the corner was barely functional. No pots or pants were to be seen and no food storage box was present. Only a kettle to boil water and a glass container that had brown powder inside were present.</p><p>
  <em>This is just the embodiment of a career woman’s room. But what’s with all the bottles? Is Siara a drinking addict? She really doesn’t seem… is she maybe one of those violent drunks? But the room looks so neat… so… </em>
</p><p>“Wondering about the bottles?”</p><p>“Yes.” Misa did her best to banish any <em>uh</em>s or <em>eh</em>s to her thoughts.</p><p>“Alcohol.”</p><p><em>I figured as much.</em> “Do you enjoy drinking?”</p><p>“Not particularly.”</p><p>“Then why so many of them?”</p><p>“Work study. On occasion I ask one of the other tenants to assist me. It is very fortunate for me that Rila hired a Demon. You have experience drinking alcohol, yes?”</p><p><em>Uhhhh… </em>“Some.”</p><p>“Some but not a lot?”</p><p>“Pretty much.”</p><p>“Those are optimal circumstances for me.” Siaka, in just her underwear, approached the shelf right next to the desk. “There is one brew I have been wanting feedback on but we could not find someone suitable as everyone that has been living in Minais Sho for a while has become acclimated to drinking. This brew is designed primarily for light drinkers of various kinds so the opinions of long time drinkers has not been useful.” Picking up a bottle not with her tail but with her enormous paw – it was like an adult holding a child’s bottle – she somehow not crushed it.</p><p><em>I can only imagine how much power a Jinko must have so how is she holding it like that? Just in her palm with the paw… paw fingers? I’ll have to ask someone that’s <b>not</b> Milala or Siaka about it sometime. Just her fingers holding the bottle still.</em> “So you want me to taste test it?”</p><p>“Yes. But first, strip.”</p><p>“What?” <em><b>Whaaaat</b></em><b>?!</b></p><p>“Your clothes are almost offensively bland and without class.”</p><p><em>Excuse me, this… well, I can’t say this is coordinated or anything but calling it bland! Classless! </em>“If I’m only taste testing-”</p><p>“I never said you would only be taste testing.”</p><p>Misa felt her heart sped up by at least double and started to sweat a little. <em>Don’t tell me <b>she</b> is the first tenant to ask for sex services?! I could probably handle Milala, but someone so tall and strong and… kinda lethally sexy… girl, I can see her abs and she’s not even trying.</em> “What else do you need me for?”</p><p>“You are spending the night here. I reserved your time for tonight.”</p><p><em><b>I knew it!</b></em> “I don’t have any experience with Jinko.”</p><p>Her tail waggled back and forth briefly. “I will be leading then.” She looked away briefly and chuckled. “Don’t be so alarmed. We Jinko might look tall, imposing, powerful, all the traits we inherited from centuries of gladiatordom, of being fighters. But we are greatly unlike that now.” Putting the bottle on the table, she looked back at Misa. “Strip, then sit. I will have to take notes and ask you questions.”</p><p>“Is stripping really necessary?”</p><p>Siaka was already opening the drawers of the desk with her tail and then grabbing a small block of note taking paper as well as a pencil that she lodged tightly between her fingers in a skillful manner. “If this much bothers you, quit now.” There was not even a tinge of being upset in her voice. “You will no doubt be called to many of the other’s rooms and be asked to satisfy them. Fidgeting or feeling shame over nakedness around us does just make you a poor fit for this job.”</p><p><em>If she puts it like that it’s pretty hard to tell her it’s just embarrassing because it’s embarrassing! Excuse me for not having brothel training! I’m not a Succubus! <b>I</b> didn’t go to Aiffair! Maina did!</em> … <em>Caladamn, I kinda wish I <b>had</b> gone.</em></p><p>Taking off her shoes first, then her shirt and finally her pants, Misa wasn’t feeling confident about the plain black underwear she had picked out that day. “What do you mean by reserving my time?”</p><p>“What, you don’t know? Did Rila… well, of course <b>Rila</b> would just let this fall to one of us to explain.”</p><p>“Explain what?” Misa was shivering from excitement and embarrassment as she held her clothes in a bundle.</p><p>“Put it on the shelf there towards the end.” Siaka pointed and then followed Misa with a rather intense look. “You are far more attractive than the last five aides we had.”</p><p>“The last <b>five</b>?” <em>Oh right there’s been a bunch.</em></p><p>“Before that we had a very beautiful Succubus that was terrible at all tasks not pertaining to sex so she was let go. And the first aide was a Lamia, whom I did not meet. I didn’t live here then. The previous tenant moved out shortly after the Lamia. I cannot recall their names. Perhaps should have written that down.”</p><p>“I’m glad I live up to expectations.”</p><p>“I had no expectations. Sit.”</p><p>Going to the chair, Misa was interrupted. “Then-” She sat down.</p><p>“Demons vary a great deal in appearance one to the next. Having expectations is a risky endeavor. My business is all about eliminating risk.”</p><p>“What exactly do you do? Sell alcohol?”</p><p>“<b>Sell</b>? Well, perhaps in one way you’re right. How much do you know about my kind?”</p><p>“About enough to get me laughed out of the room.”</p><p>Siaka sighed and walked up next to Misa. “Well, to summarize things for you, we make great use of our powerful tails. Unlike Demon tails or even Ocelot or Nekomata tails, ours have enough power that if I wielded mine like a whip, I could break your neck.”</p><p>“That is… quite an example.”</p><p>“The point to illustrate was the power, and so, yes. Jinko might look imposing, but we are not violent. Most of us work in the distillation and development of alcoholic beverages. Have you heard of Akasame?”</p><p>“The red drink? The one popular with Elves?”</p><p>“I’m surprised you know it is popular with the Elves.”</p><p>“I did try and get a job in a restaurant so I know a little.”</p><p>“My great-grandmother was involved into the inception of it.”</p><p>“That’s impressive.”</p><p>“I think so, too.”</p><p>“Do you want me to drink straight from the bottle or should I get a glass?”</p><p>“You will be drinking the entire bottle with various other bottles intersecting tastings and specific intervals of time passing in-between.”</p><p>“Various bottles? I’m not a heavy drinker, so-”</p><p>“Why do you think I reserved your time-”</p><p>“Right, that! What is <b>that</b> about anyway?!”</p><p>“Each of us is due the right to reserve your services for a day or night once a cycle. Think of it as each of us having exclusive access to you once a cycle. I doubt I’ll be using it too often though.”</p><p>“What when nobody reserves me?” <em>Ugh… that has kind of a weird feel, saying it out loud.</em></p><p>“Anyone who needs you can come and claim you then.”</p><p>“That seems like I’ll be hurting for a break.”</p><p>“Not all work is draining. Often it’ll simply be sex work and other than a pleasant hours, or in some cases, few hours, it won’t be much effort.”</p><p><em>I need to get the topic away from this, it feels kinda… I’m not used to the brothel aspect of this yet, cut me some slack! </em>“So… you were telling me about Jinko in general?”</p><p>“We Jinko chose only a single partner all our lives. Of course that refers to someone we love. We visit brothels like everyone else.”</p><p>“So that’s why I’m fine.”</p><p>“Demons are pleasant but my interests in a partner lie elsewhere.”</p><p>“Are all Jinko so… tall?”</p><p>“I’m rather average sized for a Jinko, so I will answer that with a yes. Now, time for test. First, smell the brew. Take a shallow breath from it.”</p><p><em>Oh right…</em> Grabbing the bottle and raising it to her face she sniffed it briefly. “Kind of… sweet? But not like sugar, more like… fruit?”</p><p>“Now take a deeper breath.”</p><p>Doing so, Misa coughed almost immediately after. “Too sweet! It hurts my nose!”</p><p>“I see. That is not unexpected but a pity.” Scribbling on her notepad, Siaka seemed to notice Misa’s interest. “Jinko are naturally warriors but our civilization left that behind. Unfortunately, our bodies haven’t, yet. As such, we are blessed and cursed with these very powerful hands of ours. To function in society, we undergo training with the Hinezumi to learn skillful handling of objects typically too small for us, such as that bottle or a pencil. Or a Demon’s breast- well in your case they might be big enough even with that.”</p><p>Blushing, Misa felt embarrassed but in a flattered way. “Thanks.”</p><p>“That is how I handle a pencil, bottles and other things. On that topic, I will have you assist in filing before we head to bed.”</p><p>“Filing?”</p><p>“Jinko have naturally extremely large claws, far more so than Nekomata or Ocelots, capable of tearing even solid iron. We have to maintain them on a daily basis to prevent accidents.”</p><p>“That sounds rough.”</p><p>“Each folk has their own issues.”</p><p>“That’s true.”</p><p>“Drink. One mouthful for now.”</p><p>Putting the bottle to her lips, Misa let the liquid flow in and she immediately grimaced but went through with it. Swallowing it as quickly as she could, she grimaced harder. “Way, <b>way</b> too sweet.”</p><p>“That is also not unexpected.” Scribbling and then returning to the desk, she grabbed another bottle that was much, much smaller and she held it just by its neck between her fingers. “Take only a very small sip of this. It is very strong and designed for sale in the Demonic Realm.”</p><p>Pulling the lid off the bottle, Misa could feel the fumes come out of it. <em>Wow… this is… wow.</em> “Just… how much stronger than Vakdi is this?”</p><p>“About four times the alcohol content.”</p><p>“<b>Four</b> times?” <em>Vakdi is already pretty strong, so… am I even gonna be able to drink this?</em></p><p>“Take just enough to wet your tongue and swallow it properly.”</p><p>“Okay, okay.” Drinking it like it was a shot of Scolsh, she felt it burn in her throat, so much so that it was hard to talk. “That’s… a lot. Too strong… for me.”</p><p>“It is designed for experienced drinkers. Now take a second mouthful of the brew in the other bottle.”</p><p>Doing as she was told, it meshed with the remnants of the super strong drink and the sweetness was experienced a mitigating effect. <em>This is a lot less bad.</em> “This too fruity but… better.”</p><p>Taking a third bottle from the desk with her tail without turning away, she put it in front of Misa. This one was tall, thin and yellow and half empty. “This is a special distillation that is made for mixing only and not sold for regular consumption.”</p><p>“Because it’s too strong?”</p><p>“The taste by itself is not fit for enjoyment.”</p><p>“So how am I mixing it?”</p><p>“You will take a small mouthful and then another from the brew.”</p><p>“I wish I had something like crackers for all this.”</p><p>“That will be a separate test another time.”</p><p>“Do Jinko drink a lot?” Misa took a quick sip of the yellow bottle, then the first bottle again. She nearly spat it all out. “Ew… that’s disgusting. It goes from fruity to… to… it tastes like… I can’t even say. Like… like I imagine fruit flavored soap would taste like!”</p><p>“That is a problem.” Taking the yellow, then the other bottle for herself, Siaka did a quick comparison. “You are right. This is unexpected.”</p><p>“What’s this stuff even for? Not the yellow one.”</p><p>“A type of drink to ease those hesitant to partake into drinking. A valuable tool for social gatherings.”</p><p>Misa grimaced. “Why is it so fruity?”</p><p>“It is based on a type of fermented fruit that is specially cultivated in underground stored kegs and- well a lot of technical expertise goes into it.”</p><p>“It’s a little uncomfortable if you just stand there and I sit.”</p><p>“Bear it. Now-” Siaka leaned down and then with no warning, kissed Misa, her very smooth tongue going into the Demon’s mouth, lightly touching Misa’s. It lasted only a second and devoid of passion. “Perhaps we need to rethink the distillation process. The brew leaves an unpleasant after taste.”</p><p>“Really?” Misa licked her own lips, completely forgetting to blush. “I can’t tell.”</p><p>“I could. Jinko tongues and noses are very sensitive, especially so in alcohol related aspects.”</p><p><em>That must be why she was so at odds with Milala.</em> “I haven’t been able to shower yet.”</p><p>“A rough, personal taste can be good. You appear to have good hygiene. Your sweat smells clear and typical of Demons with a well maintained self-care.”</p><p>“Have you… slept with other Demons before?”</p><p>“I visit the <em>Eternal Dark</em> down in the Freesight on occasion. Karinose is my faovirte.”</p><p>“Do not take this the wrong way, but I don’t have a lot of experience in general so tonight might not be as satisfying as you’re hoping.”</p><p>“Today was long and full of annoyances. More so than anything I want a beautiful and classy warm body by my side, one I can touch, lick and excite. I don’t care much about your skill level.”</p><p>
  <em>If she says it like that I totally want to top and show her what I can do! And knowing me, I’d fail super hard. There’s no way I can compete with the professionals in the brothels. Don’t be so full of yourself, me.</em>
</p><p>“You <b>are </b>beautiful, albeit your underwear is quite terrible. You’ll be leaving that down here before we head to bed.”</p><p>“O-Okay.” <em>I haven’t slept naked next to anyone other than Maina.</em> “Question, why is your bed so close to the ceiling?”</p><p>Siaka frowned. “The Hakutaku scholars have this theory that the Ocelot and Jinko share a common progenitor. I can’t speak for the Ocelots, like Milala, but I simply do not rest well close to the ground.”</p><p>“Milala does have some kind of tree in her room. How do you get up there?”</p><p>“Surely you are fit enough to vault a little?”</p><p>“That might be <b>a little</b> to you, but I won’t even be able to see on top of the bed from the top of the stairs.”</p><p>“Then we can entertain ourselves a bit by having me pull you into my lair.”</p><p>“Your lair… did you know that a long time ago, Humans thought all us Demons lived in so called lairs?”</p><p>Siaka snorted. “That is pretty amusing, I gotta say.”</p><p>“Right?”</p><p>“Next, we’ll test tolerance levels.”</p><p>“You mean like how much of it I can drink before I get buzzed?”</p><p>“If you want to put it that way.”</p><p>“How much can <b>you</b> drink?”</p><p>“Unfortunately Jinko cannot get drunk.”</p><p>“What.”</p><p>“Something in our digestive system just prevents us from becoming intoxicated.”</p><p>“No matter what?”</p><p>“I once drank two liters of doubly distilled Huntsinger.”</p><p>“Really.” Misa found that hard to believe. <em>Huntsinger? That Huntsinger? The stuff that’s so strong that even Mother could barely stomach it at all?</em></p><p>“What reason would I have to lie about this? You can find that sort of information in any book detailing our kind.”</p><p>“I believe you, just… that’s impressive.”</p><p>Siaka sighed and looked sad. “I would like to experience the effects of the drinks I create.”</p><p>“Wow, okay, yes, I did not think about it like that. Sorry.”</p><p>“I’ve long since accepted it.”</p><p>“So what do you want me- right, tolerance?”</p><p>“I prepared a few bottles of that brew.”</p><p>“Does it have a name yet?”</p><p>“We call it Whimper berry wine at the brewery. Other than that, no.”</p><p>“That doesn’t sound like it would be a popular drink.”</p><p>“Hence just the name at the brewery.” Taking two more bottles from the shelf by taking just a few steps, Siaka placed them in front of Misa. “I will be checking for intoxication on your breath.”</p><p>“My breath?!”</p><p>“Are you worried about it smelling? The fruity brew will cover any bad aromas.”</p><p>“Good… I had some Ikana today and also crab and vegetables at the Riversight and also some Vakdi before coming home.”</p><p>“How much Vakdi?”</p><p>“Two quarter glasses.”</p><p>“That’s fine then.”</p><p>“About my tolerance… won’t it be a problem for later if I’m drunk?”</p><p>“Given that your tail has been hovering about, indecisive whether to cover your breasts or front, I think that will be a general plus.”</p><p>“I’m just not used to it yet!”</p><p>“I know the owner of the <em>Eternal Dark</em> if you want to learn a few elements of the trade.”</p><p>“No thanks. Now that it’s come to this I want to get used to everyone here.”</p><p>“Admirable. Then-” Siaka sat on the table, which creaked dangerously. Both legs closed together, she faced Misa from the side. “You should enjoy this sight of I while you drink.”</p><p>“I <b>will</b>!” Emptying out the rest of the bottle of the so called wine, Misa did already feel a bit buzzed. <em>I’m glad I had a large meal. Doing this on an empty stomach would have wrecked me good. Caladamn, she’s </em><em><b>hot</b></em><em> though… I wanna rub my face on those abs.</em></p><p>“You were with Milala last night?”</p><p>“I just helped her clean up.” Misa intently watched Siaka’s tail slowly push another bottle towards her. <em>That has gotta be so handy… maybe I could do that too if I worked out my tail a whole bunch.</em></p><p>“Don’t misunderstand me, I won’t care if you sleep with everyone else in the house.”</p><p>“Saying it like that is a bit hurtful.”</p><p>“It is? Your work includes that sort of service so to expect any sort of exclusivity with you, should someone want that, would be rather idiotic.”</p><p>“You don’t mince words.”</p><p>Siaka sarcastically chuckled, a slew of air escaping her in the process. “Nobody profits if you hold back what you really need to say.”</p><p>“Oh I really get that!” Misa started to drink from the second bottle.</p><p>Siaka used her large foot to pull the chair closer, with Misa still on top, then shifted it around so Misa faced her, parallel to the table. “Breathe.”</p><p><em>This is still… I hope it doesn’t smell weird.</em> Opening her mouth, making a small O, she breathed towards Siaka’s face. “Good?”</p><p>“Neither good nor bad, continue.”</p><p>“I don’t really know much about Jinkos. Is it hard to work with those large hands?”</p><p>“No harder than it is for you to tell apart two similar but clearly distinct alcohols.”</p><p>“That’s- how do I-” <em>Uhhhh…</em> “So it’s a bit hard?”</p><p>“It is what it is because I know nothing else.”</p><p>“Makes sense.” Misa drank again.</p><p>“What about you?”</p><p>“Me?”</p><p>“Is it not bothersome to have such a long and flexible tail and yet lack the strength to use it properly?”</p><p>“Demon tails are not <b>that</b> strong. We couldn’t lift a bottle with it. Rila probably can.”</p><p>“Gargoyle tails are of solid living stone. Soft but still stone. A whipping hit of it could break either of our necks.”</p><p>“Scary…”</p><p>“From our perspective, sure.”</p><p>Another sip. Her stomach was significantly heating up now and so was her chest. “Do all Jinko buy super fancy underwear like that?”</p><p>“Jinko in general pay a lot of heed towards personal class.”</p><p>“Meaning?”</p><p>“A Queen could have unimaginable riches, a Legendary Adventurer could be rivaling the Dragons in power, and yet neither is inherently of greater personal class than a beggar that lives by the corner.”</p><p>“Don’t get it.”</p><p>“Personal class is about your ability to present yourself well, to show an understanding of mannerisms, of social integration, of knowing your limits and strengths. A tyrant queen of endless selfish demands is no better than a drunken sailor.”</p><p>“<b>Now</b> I get it. Kinda.”</p><p>“It would do you good to have better underwear yourself.”</p><p>“Working on it.” More alcohol went down her throat.</p><p>“How is the sweetness of it now?”</p><p>“Kinda… how to explain? It’s still very sweet but now that I had a bunch of it, it’s not overwhelming anymore?”</p><p>Siaka scribbled again. “Breathe.”</p><p>Opening her mouth in a big O, Misa strongly breathed at Siaka. “How is it?”</p><p>“Why did you come to Minais Sho?”</p><p>“I wanted to see the world beyond my little village in the Demon Realm!”</p><p>“And so you decided to find work here?”</p><p>“Mom suggested it to me.”</p><p>“I see. Interesting turn of events.”</p><p>“You know, I failed <b>so</b> many interviews.”</p><p>“Really?” Siaka chuckled. “Well, shops can be picky. Apply to any brothels?”</p><p>“That was my fallback. My cousin’s a Succubus and runs a brothel in the Labyrinth.”</p><p>“What’s her name?”</p><p>“Maina.”</p><p>“Can’t say I’ve met her.”</p><p>“That would have been kinda weird anyway.”</p><p>“Weird?” Siaka nodded towards the bottle.</p><p>Drinking, Misa was really starting to feel it. “Phuuaaa! This is starting to <b>really</b> hit the spot.”</p><p>“That’s intriguing. Weird how?”</p><p>“I mean she’s my cousin… if someone here went to her brothel on the regular and she and I both sleep with them… I don’t know, just feels like it’d be weird.”</p><p>“Both of my mothers met because they frequented the same brothel and one day fought over who would get to take her time.”</p><p>“Wow.”</p><p>Siaka giggled. “The manager of the brothel banned both of them so they started to meet more often as they looked for a replacement.”</p><p>“Where do Jinkos live anyway?”</p><p>“You mean the bulk of our population?”</p><p>“Yeah, that.”</p><p>“The Ocelot would have you believe otherwise, but many of us still own land in the nature lands. Junanji is as large as it is now thanks to many an influential Jinko.”</p><p>“Never heard of that before.”</p><p>“We don’t broadcast it. The Ocelot are very focused on their meritocracy and we would gain nothing but bad business relations if we insisted they include the Jinko in their broad claims.”</p><p>“So most of you still live in the nature lands?”</p><p>“Quite a lot do, but as for most… well, we are spread all over. Quite a few of us live in Eisenschmiede.”</p><p>“The Dwarven capital? Doesn’t it get problematic since you’re all tall? Like two Dwarves worth!” <em>Hicc</em>.</p><p>“A misconception many people have. Their capital is rather spacious, all things considered. Jinko have no trouble getting around.”</p><p>“I was wondering why the doors here were kinda on the large side. It’s because of Jinko and Lamias and such, right?”</p><p>“That is one reason, yes.”</p><p>Almost through the second bottle, Misa was feeling hot. “Do Jinko have a sport like the Ocelots? That whole thing about finding impressive girlfriends.”</p><p>“Centuries ago, Jinko lacked the respect and freedom we have now. Alcohol was a small, irregular and shady business of poorly brewed drinks served only to intoxicate and not enjoy. We were gladiators then, mighty warriors.” Siaka let out a heavy sigh. “Thank Shekan we have left <b>that</b> behind.”</p><p>“I bet you’d look awesome figh- nyeeeee-” Misa was dealing with Siaka’s tail tip slapping and poking her face. “Stop, stop, eeyyy!” Swatting at it, Siaka had to not even get up or raise an arm to punish Misa.</p><p>“Don’t even think that, idiot.” Siaka put her large paw on top of Misa’s head. It would have been like a head pat but her hand was so large that it was more like a very soft, very warm and a little springy pillow was put on top of her head.</p><p>“Hey! Don’t do that!” Misa swayed left and right on the chair and felt gravity take over. Almost dropped, she hectically grabbed at the table and remained on the chair. “Phew.”</p><p>“Breathe.”</p><p>Trying to make a sexy face, Misa blew a stretched out breath towards Siaka. “Is that a thing for Jinko? Getting breathed on.”</p><p>“Before we continue-” Siaka pushed the last bottle away from Misa, to the other end of the table. “I’ll have you assist in my manicure.”</p><p>“That <b>might</b> be difficult.”</p><p>Siaka sniffed twice and leaned towards Misa for a third, deep sniff. “Then for today-” Siaka sighed. “I shall demonstrate to you.”</p><p>Standing up, which involved not much as the table was basically just high enough to serve as a chair for the Jinko, Siaka moved to the mounted cabinet on the wall, next to the tall, narrow shelf that contained her gloves. Using her thumb, she pulled open the cabinet. “Today… considering tonight I should make especially sure they are filed down.”</p><p>Within the cabinet were workshop tools – metal files used to grind down wood, metal and other things. Siaka chose a large file, a rasp, that was about the length of a hand, as thick as a finger and very rough looking. “I will be relying on you to do this in the future so pay attention.”</p><p>“Do Jinko grow claws?”</p><p>“In our past, Jinko typically had claws as long as your entire hand, one on each finger.”</p><p>“Scary!” Misa just blurted that out.</p><p>“Yes, scary. And utterly impractical. Unlike Nekomata or to some extent the Ocelot, we can’t retract them. So we file them down. Well, most of us do.”</p><p>“Most?”</p><p>“It’s a bit unusual, but some Jinko do go on adventures. Having our claws beats out trying to wield a sword or something like that. We can tear even through the magical iron of a Cursed Sword.”</p><p>“Caladamn that’s scary…”</p><p>“So don’t ever cross us, right?” Siaka grinned in a big way.</p><p>“I won’t, I won’t! Lady Siaka!”</p><p>“<b>Lady</b> Siaka is a bit much. Wouldn’t want to upset me, right?”</p><p>“Ugh…”</p><p>“Now pay attention.”</p><p>Sitting back on the table, Siaka put the file down. It had large holes on both ends and she skillfully moved her tail through both and then bent her tail so put tension on it, keeping the file in place. Holding her hand in front of Misa, the Demon could see a bit of a pointy black growing out of the fur. <em>A nail?</em></p><p>“Jinko claws are very hard, so this is quite a time consuming thing. A lot of us do it ourselves but it goes by faster if we have someone do it for us.”</p><p>“That’s my cue!” Misa cleared her throat and blushed. <em>Might just a little itty bitty tiny weeny bit drunk here.</em></p><p>Putting her paw on her thigh, she tensed up and the claw got a little bigger. Rhythmically moving the file mounted to her tail against what was basically her index finger, Siaka started to give herself a manicure. “Breathe.”</p><p>Standing up, Misa got as close to Siaka as she could without having to lean on the table – she had to hold on to the chair anyway as the ground felt a bit uneven – and breathed deeply and slowly onto her face.</p><p>“The product is definitely a failure for what we initially planned, but given your tolerance reaction and the effects… how does it taste now? Take a mouthful only.”</p><p>“Gotcha.” With Siaka’s tail busy, Misa moved around the table, stumbled and slammed her hand loudly on the table to keep standing. “All okay!” Grabbing the bottle and doing as she was told, Misa put the bottle back down, sniffled, coughed twice and then breathed out hard. “Thish stuff is… kinda shrong.”</p><p>“Come here, drunkard Demon.”</p><p>“Not a drunkad!” Misa returned to the chair and looked so closely at the filing process that her head started moving left and right in rhythm with the file. “Ishn’t this really shimilar to normal nail filn?”</p><p>Siaka had a hard time not continuously chuckling. “At least you’re an amusing drunk.”</p><p>“Not a drunk! Maybe!”</p><p>“Anything you want to ask me?”</p><p>“Does it get gross with all that fur when you have sex?”</p><p>Siaka’s smile kept growing. “It can get a little sticky. I will most likely go take a shower after you satisfied me.”</p><p>“Follow up! Doesh it take a lot time to drhh… drea… dry off? Lotta hair and fur!”</p><p>“Little while. Towels are a great invention for that.”</p><p>“Ohhh.”</p><p>“How about you?”</p><p>“I love towels.”</p><p>“Hahaha, no, I meant, is it a lot of effort to dry your wings and tail?”</p><p>“No need!” Misa stood up, held herself stable on the table and started flapping her wings powerfully. “Can’t fly but can shake off water! Dries me too! But geths rilly cold!”</p><p>“Seems useful.”</p><p>“Totally is!” Misa leaned onto the table, reaching for the bottle, despite no order of drinking coming down. <em>It’s fine. I’m only a </em><em><b>little</b></em><em> bit tipsy! I can handle an entire bottle of Vikadi.</em></p><p>“How about your tail?”</p><p>Moving her tail up above her head and forming a ring, Misa pointed both her index fingers at it. “Look, holy Demon!”</p><p>“Wow, a new kind!” Siaka played along with the enthusiasm of a cat owner who was watching a cat do silly things on catnip. “But what about showering?”</p><p>“No problem! Dries right off. Wanna touch?”</p><p>“With pleasure.”</p><p>Sitting back down on the chair, with her back to Siaka, Misa moved her tail up and felt it collide with something. “How’s it?”</p><p>Siaka, who had a Demon tail on her forehead, was trying her absolute hardest not to break into tears of laughter. “Very smooth.” Upon saying that the Demon tail moved side to side over her forehead like a polishing rag, making a loud <em>mhew mhew mhew</em> noises in the process. The Jinko’s entire body shook as she held it in.</p><p>“I <b>gotta</b> know! How do you learn all that tail stuff?!”</p><p>“Jinko are taught by their parents. My Mother placed super high-grade venison inside a cage, with the key inside the cage as well. I had to use my tail to get the key. Took me twelve hours.”</p><p>“Twelve- wow!” The Demon tail was now slowly returning down. “That’s a lot of- <b>Knyah!</b>” Misa jumped and felt her tail refuse to budge. Someone lightly bit on it. “<b>What in Calam are you doing?!</b>” Looking over her shoulder, Misa saw Siaka lightly chew on her tail tip. “<b>Sta-stahp, it tikles sho much! Ahaha haha haaaa knyah wait shto- eiiiyyy</b>!”</p><p>“Demon tails are a lot more sensitive than I expected.” Siaka finally let go and a mildly bite marked tail was returned to Misa’s own authority.</p><p>“Nobody’s ever bitten my tail before, not even Maina!”</p><p>“I’m a carnivore.”</p><p>“Wrong kinda eating!”</p><p>“Is it?” Siaka flashed her teeth. “I guess I’ll be eating you all over later.”</p><p>“Not… not if I show you my amazing technique!”</p><p>“You have no experience with Jinko, though?”</p><p>“Willpower!”</p><p>“I’m definitely looking forward to seeing- nah, feeling that.”</p><p>“I’ll… I’ll show you! I’ll use my secret weapon!”</p><p>“Your tail?”</p><p>“Oh. That’s a great idea!”</p><p>“For reference value, what was the other secret weapon.”</p><p>“My boobs!”</p><p>“They’re a nice size, but to be called a secret weapon they’d have to be at least eight or nine Nume.”</p><p>“Hah, I have my <b>other</b> secret weapon!”</p><p>“Your tail?”</p><p>“How’d you… wait a second!”</p><p>“To tell the truth-” Siaka paused her manicure and wiggled her tail. “Jinko make <b>ample</b> use of our tails in sex.”</p><p>“Wha-!” Misa flailed. “That’s unfair! And I just came up with it!”</p><p>“Does get a bit messy though. Come to think of it, I might not have any oils here.”</p><p>“Oils?” Misa tilted her head.</p><p>“My tail is fur. That doesn’t feel good unless I oil it.”</p><p>“Feel good?” Larger tilt.</p><p>“I just said we use them during sex.”</p><p>“So… oils… on tail…” Achieving maximum tilting and Misa nearly fell over and crash landed on the chair.</p><p>“Of course we use it for penetration.”</p><p>“Pe- <b>what</b>?!”</p><p>“With especially large breasts we can also use them to squeeze. Some people get off on sucking on them, too.”</p><p>“Suck- but the fur!”</p><p>“That’s what the oils are for. Makes the fur all slick, smooth and stick together. No pesky hairs left behind. It is quite a pain to wash out. Anything short of hot springs temperatures and you won’t get it out.”</p><p>“That- but- what!”</p><p>“Maybe that is a little much for you tonight.”</p><p>“I… I can handle it! I’ll show you a Demon’s resolve!” <em>Hicc!</em></p><p>“This Jinko thinks if you keep raising your voice like that, you’ll be showing me what the booze looks like half digested.”</p><p>“I have <b>never</b>- <b>Almost!</b>” She looked down. “<b>Rarely</b> thrown up!”</p><p>“Reassuring.”</p><p>“Swear!”</p><p>“You’re a funny drunk.”</p><p>“I’mnot drunkall at!”</p><p>“Of course not.”</p><p>“See!”</p><p>“The last two aides were dreadfully boring. One passed out far too quickly and the other would not stop up for one second. The one before that was even worse, getting all depressing and going on and on about how she hates this job.”</p><p>“I think I might maybe like it probably.”</p><p>“What do you like about it?”</p><p>“Everyone’s weird. Rude Mermaid, <b>super</b> cute… Tria! Workolic Ocelot! Unresponsible erotic Gargoyle! Crazy tall Jinko dom!”</p><p>“I give the impression of a dom to you?”</p><p>“<b>AB-SO-LU-TE-LY!</b>” Misa hastily nodded with every sound. “Throw on the bed and eat me type!”</p><p>“Well, I could do that but I was hoping for something a little more even.”</p><p>“But we’re both, kinda you know-” Misa made a big double pear shape in the air. “Like that? Especially you, all wa-wa-woom!”</p><p>Siaka couldn’t hold it anymore and burst into laughter. “Wa-wa- What the heck is that?! By Shekan, what is that about?!”</p><p>“You know! Woom! All… wow! Waowzers!”</p><p>“Waowz-!” Siaka had tears in her eyes from laughing. “Oh I gotta say you are the best girl we had here yet.”</p><p>“<b>Seriously?!</b>”</p><p>“Definitely the funniest.”</p><p>Strutting out her chest, Misa looked proud. “Wait- funny?!”</p><p>Blowing on her paws, Siaka looked close on them. “I think for tonight we can take it a bit easy.”</p><p>“I’m not easy! I’ll have you know I have very, very high standards! At least two dinners and drinks!”</p><p>“Can’t decide if I want you to keep drinking or go to bed with me.”</p><p>“Both!”</p><p>“No booze in bed. That’s just a spill waiting to happen.”</p><p>“We spill anyway!”</p><p>Siaka was turning red in the face from laughing now. “Fair- fair that!”</p><p>“Let’s a go!” Misa became just a little uninhibited when drunk.</p><p>Going towards the stairs in a wiggly wobbly line, Misa arrived at the bottom of the first step. “Wow, this room’s a <b>mess</b>, it’s all uneven and stuff. I’mma complain to Rila!”</p><p>“Yeah, it’s so uneven, it’s difficult to walk, right?” With scarcely a sound, Siaka had gotten right behind Misa and was now leaning over her, like a deadly predator, like a tiger about to hunt a cute little demon bunny. “And look what <b>I</b> found.”</p><p>“Woah, no eating! I’m a friend!”</p><p>“A friend?” It took Siaka by surprise. “I really didn’t think I would <b>want</b> the aide girl to be a friend, but now that I look at you- yes, lets be friends. There are some great benefits to be had.”</p><p>Misa moved backwards, up the stairs, one by one, and was now dangerously close to Siaka’s face. “Like what?”</p><p>Leaning to the side and down, Siaka licked Misa’s cheek. “I’ve never been friends with someone like this before, so we’ll find out.”</p><p>“Wow, your tongue is <b>way</b> smoother than what I expected.”</p><p>“What <b>did</b> you expect?”</p><p>“That’ssh a good question.”</p><p>“Can you get up there?”</p><p>Misa looked straight up. “Probfinitelymayes.”</p><p>“Misa.”</p><p>“Siaka!”</p><p>“Did you know that a long time ago, long before Jinko became gladiators, we lived in the nature lands and when we saw someone that we fancied, we hunted them?”</p><p>“Hunt?!”</p><p>“Yes. Like- <b>this</b>.” Putting one arm around Misa’s back, Siaka was so tall and strong that she could effortlessly lift Misa up with just one arm, pushing her tight against her own body. Kicking off the ground in one big leap, she held onto the frame of the bed and vaulted herself and Misa all the way up.</p><p>The situation ended with Misa on her back, arms above her head against a very soft mattress and legs stretched out. “Uh… my wings.” They were stuck in a rather uncomfortable position. Her arms and legs were pinned down by soft, huge paws and a hungry and excitable looking Jinko was kneeling over her, eyeing her prey. Releasing just enough pressure to let Misa arch up her back and adjust her wings and tail, Siaka pushed her back down. “N-No eating!”</p><p>“Oh, you’re too late for that. You’re already on my plate.”</p><p>“Slow eating!”</p><p>Siaka started to laugh. “I think I will really like you.”</p><p>“Yeah, I bet I taste good, uhm, uhm.” Misa nodded twice.</p><p>“That’s not- I didn’t-” Siaka couldn’t keep up the act. Lowering herself next to Misa, she moved her legs over Misa’s to keep her in place. Cackling and laughing, Siaka’s eyes flared up and she suddenly playfully bit Misa’s shoulder. “Nhomnhomnhom…!” Playing along, she was visibly relaxed and happy.</p><p>“Ah~, I’m being eaten!” Misa tried to turn over but couldn’t. So she did the best she could. Grabbing hold of Siaka’s tail, she squeezed tight and got the Jinko to startle, letting up just enough for her to roll over and latch onto the much taller woman, wrapping her arms and legs around Siaka’s body and refusing to let go. “In your blindspot now! You can’t move- hey! No moving!”</p><p>Siaka was not bound as easily as Misa seemed to have expected, rising to all fours and using her own tail to wrap it around Misa’s. “Whose blindspot did you say?”</p><p>“That’s not fair!”</p><p>“Oh yeah?” Using her giant right paw, she pushed it against Misa’s face and peeled her off like she was an old scale ready to fall off. Dropping the Demon to the mattress, Siaka lowered herself on top of her again, the two tails coiled together like a double helix. “Let’s see how that tone changes if I do this.” Sticking out her tongue, Siaka approached Misa, who responded in turn.</p><p>Closing her eyes, Misa anticipated a kiss.<em> Ah~… ah?</em> No kiss came. <em>Ynirk!</em> Startled when she felt something very hot and very wet against her neck, she opened her eyes. “No- ah~” <em>Why does that feel so good?! Wait a sec- hng! That’s not her lick- ah! That’s the tail!</em></p><p>“Now, I completely forgot about these.” Untangling her tail from Misa’s she, moved it between her breasts and pulled on the bra. “Off with that… those rags.”</p><p>“They’re not rags! They might be the… third best I have!”</p><p>“Off!” Siaka pulled harder on the bra and it was threatening to rip.</p><p>“Okay, wait, stop, I will, hold it, I object, no pulling!” Hurrying to arch her back up and try to take the bra off herself, Misa found that rather difficult in her position. “Wait, I’m trying!”</p><p>“Really? I’ll eat you if you don’t take it off.” Flexing her very white but otherwise normal looking teeth, Siaka very much enjoyed herself.</p><p>“Lemme get up.” Sitting up so quickly she nearly collided with Siaka, Misa felt that this might have been a not so brilliant idea as her stomach lodged a firm complaint against her. “One… ugh… one…” She breathed hard and stopped talking.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Siaka sounded a little worried.</p><p>Nodding twice and then regretting that too, Misa felt the room turn. <em>Not… now. Stupid earthquakes… ugh… </em></p><p>“Lie down.”</p><p>“N-No eating…” <em>Hicc. Hicc.</em> “I’m fine. Fine!” Raising her voice, Misa regretted that too almost immediately.</p><p>“I expected to have a <b>little</b> more time before this would happen but I should have known that someone with low tolerance would succumb quickly once it got to be a lot.”</p><p>“Huh?” Misa was not making sense of what Siaka was talking about. And then she was pushed down, slowly, and the ceiling was spinning too. “No spinning… I’m not… a top…”</p><p>“That you are not. Well, not tonight.” Siaka chuckled. “I am not even disappointed. I haven’t laughed so much in months.”</p><p>“I’mma just… one sec… close my eyes. Be right back. I’m good, I’m good, I can do this. Definitely. Ueeehhhh…”</p><p>“Stop talking.” Siaka put her huge paw on top of Misa’s face, only enough so that she couldn’t see anything anymore.</p><p>“Soft… squishy squishy paw… gynuu…” Tilting her head back, Misa closed her eyes. <em>Just… one sec… one min… five minutes. Five minutes and I can totally… have sex with her. I can do this job… I’m not a failure… </em></p><p>Misa just barely registered a ripping sound coming from somewhere close and something was suddenly riding up her butt crack. Wiggling her body, she tried to get rid of it and then she felt it gone. <em>Thank Calam… ugh… I feel just a little bit bad… maybe… I should go get some water. Okay… water… in a minute… just one five minutes minutes break… </em></p><p>=== Minais Sho ===</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Lore Bonus 4 - Jinko</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>__Jinko</b>
</p><hr/><p>They are a beast race bearing many characteristics of tigers, a large feline creature from the far south-west and the untouched south beyond the demonic realm. They have the legs of tigers from the thigh down, arms of tigers starting by the shoulder and a very long tiger’s tail as well as small tiger ears on top of their head.</p><p>Armed with enormous claws, the Jinko was for a long time a gladiatorial phenomenon and seen as a brute. And while there are still some that work like that today, the population at large has moved on to other things as civilization advanced.</p><p>Innately very tall, Jinko average to 230cm to 240cm tall and appear very muscular. Despite their gladiator ancestry they nowadays wear mostly conservative clothing reminiscent of government employees or the attire of exclusive club owners. They are imposing, powerful and many of them tolerate no fooling around in the workplace, making them not only excellent employees themselves but also role models for many other races whose history is steeped in violence.</p><p>Their original lifespan was about 30 years only, reaching maturity at age 15, and has now increased to almost 80 years average.</p><p>Jinko are uniquely sensitive to alcoholic tastes, smells, appearance and everything related to brewery, making them the world’s leading experts on alcohol quality. No winery or distillery operates without a trained Jinko at hand. Maybe of them file down their large claws and undergo training with Hinezumi to attain greater fine motor skills despite their large paws.</p><p>Because of their extreme desire to appear high-class and function as such, an entire specialized Jinko clothing production scene exists, making boots that fit their large paws and muscular legs as well as gloves that fit their paws. Obscuring their fur patterns is not specifically for fashion alone but also serves to maintain a state of purity in the place of business.</p><p>Jinko primarily consume meat but make it a habit of starting a day with a vegetable meal to cleanse their palate to prepare for tasting. Jinko metabolize alcohol in a special way which prevents them from getting drunk to the point where they would die from a ruptured stomach before being tipsy. If not for their desires of high-class, bar owners would beg on their knees to have them as security. Their metabolism alone is not their only asset, they are also able to distinguish between extremely small differences in the brewing process, making them essential to producing the highest quality liquors and spirits.</p><p>Socially, Jinko love to associate with anyone of sufficient personal class. This excludes social standing and ranking – a well dressed, well behaved beggar would be chosen 100% of the time over a sloppy, misbehaved noble or king. And voicing opposition to such choices typically results in every alcohol related business in town blackmailing the offender – nobody wants to get in bad waters with the Jinko.</p><p>Jinko talk among each other a lot, giving tips on the newest fashion, sharing brewery technique and knowledge. Despite being the model role for being a career woman, Jinko do not compete with each other directly but through their associated business – with the most successful typically buying dinner and drinks for the runner ups. This close-knit association between Jinko has empowered the alcohol industry to such a degree that a once shady and unreliable business has become a major in and export major player in the economics of the realms.</p><p>On a tangential note, if one wishes to impress a Jinko to perhaps court them, a custom tailored suit or dress for them will get the foot in the door. Courting a Jinko is notoriously difficult as they mate for life, are fiercely loyal and very picky about their mate. While they can procreate with almost any of the beast races, there are outliers known to surrogate offspring or adopt another Jinko’s extra offspring in cases where they cannot have children with their partner, such as a Harpy or Lamia species.</p><p>What should absolutely be avoided is treating a Jinko as inferior to men because of their appearance or racial gender. While no Jinko is innately violent, doing so bears a high risk of ending up dead in some way or another, even if the Jinko herself keeps it together. One case is known where an offender’s legs and head were found more than four realms apart.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Jinko visual design based on<br/>http://kurobine.sakura.ne.jp/mamonogirllover/zukan/jinko/page.shtml</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Between a Rock and a Hard Place</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Misa gets to know Rila a bit more!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Something huge and soft was pushed against her face from above. She felt hot. Like worse than that one time she got day’s journey short of the sands. She felt sweat on her neck, down her breast line and especially beneath them. Also in the back of her knees, under her arms. <em>Shower! </em><em><b>Shower</b></em><em>!</em></p><p>Opening her eyes, she sort of expected to wake up with her face buried in Siaka’s boobs. <em>I can’t see anything.</em> She didn’t remember the Jinko being so busty that it could blot out her entire vision. Sniffling, lightly coughing, she kicked loose that hangover that had laid dormant until then. Like a singing Ogre it was, powerful and nauseating and it just wouldn’t go away at all. “Ueeeeeeeeehhh…” Trying to roll over, the weight on her face was too much for that to go easy. Reaching for whatever it was, she found one of her arms locked up tight under something quite heavy and the other one was kind of asleep and stinging as she attempted to move it.</p><p>Someone smacked their lips in an almost obscene way. “Misa…?” The question was followed by a loud, powerfully executed yawn that made the heavy thing on her face vibrate and then move away. And finally she could see – the ceiling above her.</p><p><em>By Caldobleps… that stuff she gave me packed punch like a Minotaur. </em>Misa was blessed, or in most cases cursed, to suffer no memory loss whatsoever, regardless of much she drank. Hangovers on the other hand hit her every bit as hard as most people. “Siaka?”</p><p>“Here.” Another yawn. “How do you feel?”</p><p>“Regret.”</p><p>“Hm… maybe we need to lower the alcohol content then.”</p><p>“Hits really hard…” Taking a deep breath through the nose, Misa tried to make sense of where she was and how she was.</p><p>Lying in bed, next to a stark naked Jinko that had absolutely insanely sexy abs onto which she wanted to rub her face for days. <em>Ahem.</em> Lying in bed next to Siaka, the Jinko was on her right side, facing Misa, her arms sort of crossed over and creating a pillow for her own head. <em>Why am I naked any- oh right. I kinda remember something ripping.</em> Flat on her back, Misa was just lying there. The locked up arm was stuck under the top paw and freed up just then. “You <b>had</b> to rip them?”</p><p>“I gave you plenty of time to take them off.”</p><p>“At least they were cheap…”</p><p>“I can compensate you if you want.”</p><p>“Please.” Misa yawned. “No work?” <em>It’s Lakera… </em></p><p>“Not yet.”</p><p>“Yet?”</p><p>“It’s early.”</p><p>“How-” Misa grimaced and closed her eyes. “<b>Too</b> early.”</p><p>“Are you feeling okay? Other than having had too much to drink.”</p><p>“Think so.”</p><p>“How much do you remember?”</p><p>“Bit too much.”</p><p>“Not so talkative in the mornings.”</p><p>“Hung over…”</p><p>“I have something that’ll fix it, mostly.”</p><p>“Seriously?” Misa let out a relieved gasp and felt Siaka move. The mattress was dented in by the Jinko’s weight and Misa felt herself slide closer to the center. “Uh… did you…”</p><p>A loud thud as Siaka landed on the floor directly, skipping the stairs. “Have sex with you? No. There’s no fun if there’s no one giving back.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>“I <b>did</b> feel you up though.” Footsteps through the room. “Your chest is a bit small for me.”</p><p>
  <em>With hands like that I’d need to have like twenty Nume for that not to be the case. What is she expecting? Even Rila would probably be small for-</em>
</p><p>“I’ll buy something for next time. Your butt is great though. Your tail, too.”</p><p>“My… tail?” Arching up her back, she got her tail out from under her. Opening her eyes just a little, she took a look. There was a visible bite mark. It didn’t hurt, but everyone would be able to see it if they looked at her tail tip. “You bit it?”</p><p>“You seemed to like it.”</p><p><em>Did I? I mean… I didn’t hate it when she bit it while I was drunk. But it’s not like erotic or anything like that.</em> “Maybe?”</p><p>Sounds of someone rummaging through a shelf filled with bottles and then footsteps that came back. “Can you sit up?”</p><p>“Just groggy.” Pushing herself up, sighing, she felt <b>really</b> naked. Not embarrassed, but more that something was missing. Like forgetting to put on a bra. <em>So weird to wake up in someone’s bed… </em></p><p>Siaka was so tall that she could see effortlessly onto the bed while just standing on the lower stairs of the stairs. Offering a slightly green bottle to Misa, the Demon took it and Siaka went down the stairs. “I’m going out in a bit. What are you doing?”</p><p>Holding a mystery drink in her hands, Misa sniffed it and immediately regretted it, breaking out in a coughing fit and holding the bottle as far away from her as possible. She was already more awake – and in more pain – than before. “What <b>is</b> that?”</p><p>“A bit of a house mix. I started to put that together after the fourth aide barfed all over my floor.”</p><p>“I won’t barf…” She eyed the bottle with reluctance. “Is this <b>really</b> gonna help?”</p><p>“You ever hear of Elvish Cap?”</p><p><em>The hangover medicine?</em> “Yeah.”</p><p>“This is like a distilled version. Really strong.”</p><p>Misa heard a wardrobe opening and couldn’t resist looking down. She couldn’t see inside the furniture but Siaka used her tail skillfully to pull out a white, buttoned shirt with massive poofy sleeves. Holding it up over her head, Siaka raised her huge paws towards the ceiling and slipped in.</p><p>“You okay?” Siaka looked over her shoulder.</p><p><em>Right.</em> Steeling herself for the disgust of it – probably – Misa put the bottle to her lips, pinched her nose and downed a mouthful of it. It immediately burned her throat and stomach like fuel destined for the big smelters of the Dwarves. Closing her mouth, and covering with her left hand, as she felt a gag reflex, Misa went through something that was half sneeze, half intense breathing out and she felt snot run down onto her hand. Her eyes hurt, her nose hurt, her stomach made a gargling noise.</p><p>And her head freed up. “Calam… <b>this</b> is Elvish Cap?”</p><p>“Distilled.”</p><p>When Misa had her senses back about her, she looked down, seeing Siaka just tighten up her pants and sleeves through her tail. “How does that work?”</p><p>“Distillation is-”</p><p>“No, your clothes.”</p><p>“There are rings inside that attach to cords that pull the sleeves in. It’s a bit stuffed but you get used to it. Feel better?”</p><p>“My <b>head</b> does.”</p><p>“I suggest you find something to eat before that stuff goes into your digestion all on its own. That is really unpleasant.”</p><p>“Must be nice not getting drunk.”</p><p>“Not really.” Siaka went across the room and stepped into a pair of short boots that covered just beyond her ankle. “I still get hangovers if I drink a lot, just no funny high of intoxication.”</p><p>“You’re leaving? Now?”</p><p>“Did you want me to kiss you goodbye?” Siaka smirked and stopped. Walking over, just ever so slightly taller than before because of the boots, Siaka went up two steps and looked right at Misa, having to tilt back her head just a tiny bit.</p><p>Backing away without intending to, Misa breathed in twice and leaned forward. <em>I should <b>at least</b> get used to kissing!</em></p><p>Feeling their lips touch, she could taste something slightly bitter on Siaka’s, not unlike a strong salad. The Jinko’s face wasn’t that much bigger so they matched well. Misa felt her heart slowly beat faster, just a little bit, as they kept kissing, lips on and off, her own being revitalized from Siaka’s.</p><p>Keeping on the kiss, the Jinko stepped up one more stair, now looking down on Misa, her tongue darting into her mouth, slightly rough and hot to the touch, much hotter than Misa’s own. A quick dance, a sprinkle of passion, and Siaka retreated, licking her lips. “Now this I will get used to.”</p><p>Misa had managed to avoid blushing until then but the overt declaration of wanting a kiss before heading out pulled at her heart strings. “You will?”</p><p>“Whenever I get the chance to.” Siaka smiled. “Now out.”</p><p>“Out?”</p><p>“I can’t lock up with you in here unless you want to crawl out the window.”</p><p>“Eh?!”</p><p>“I’m not leaving you to lock up. How am I getting back in then?”</p><p>“No, I mean, eh-?!” Misa hurried down, her stomach complaining from the sudden pint of stress. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she aimed at the stairs for a few long seconds while being stark naked and Siaka impatiently watching her. Jumping down, the drop itself was no more than half a step, Misa hurried towards the pile of her clothes.</p><p>Trying to pick out her top, Siaka pushed her towards the door, tail going past to open up. Before she knew what was happening, Misa stood in the hallway, naked and holding onto her clothes for dear life.</p><p>Using her huge pawn to make Misa look up, Siaka leaned down and kissed her again. “Maybe I’ll see you later.”</p><p>Leaving a confounded and little shaking Demon in the hallway, Siaka walked out the door and didn’t look back.</p><p>Misa’s mouth opened, her face flushed and she had one particular thought just scream in her head. <em><b>She’s definitely a Dom after all!</b></em> Caught between hurrying upstairs to her room and get dressed there and just getting dressed in the hallway, Misa decided on neither and tried to put on her pants as she hurried upstairs, limping, jumping and crashing into a wall once. <em>Ow!</em></p><p>Making it as far as the stairs, she was met with a familiar face. <em>Milala!</em> “Uh-” She had at least managed to pull up her pants, although she was feeling very uncomfortable without panties.</p><p>“If you are wondering why I am still here-” Milala looked far more preoccupied with why <b>she</b> was there herself, and not why Misa was half naked and had her boobs hanging out. “It’s your fault.”</p><p>“Mine?!” Misa hurriedly put on a top.</p><p>“The bed is too comfortable now. I was awake early and thought that perhaps a little longer in such great comfort…” She shook her head and blushed furiously. “To think I would be caught in such an embarrassing situation…”</p><p><em>Lady, I think that’s my line.</em> Misa didn’t know how to feel about the complete lack of any reaction to <b>her</b> state. “I think you’re up too early for me to come wake you up.” <em>She wakes up with the sun or something? There is no way I can do a wake up call for her.</em></p><p>“Obviously.” Milala didn’t even seem to look at that like a possible solution. “I will have to get used to this specific state of my room so I will be counting on you.”</p><p>“Sure.” <em>Wait. State of her room?</em> “You mean-”</p><p>“I was going to tell this to you tonight but now I will not have to. I’m late for work so-” She hurried past Misa and revealed a disorderly ponytail tugged under a suit.</p><p>“Wait.” Misa was still just barely wearing clothes, dropped her shoes and got to work. Pulling out the ponytail from Milala’s back, she adjusted the hair tie, doubled it over, smoothed out the suit. <em>She’s worse than Mother. Are <b>all</b> Ocelot such messes?</em> “Okay, you’re-” Misa nearly choked on her words when Milala almost dashed off. “Good to go… I don’t think I’ll get used to <b>that</b> anytime soon.”</p><p>Picking up her shoes, Misa carried one in each hand, she went upstairs. Heading for her room, something gave her pause. The door to Four-Three, the room across of hers, was open just a bit and she could hear strange sounds coming from the inside. Like something was being cut, scissor sounds, but much more powerful and strangely metallic. Approaching, still holding her shoes, Misa felt worried. “Uhm- is everything-” She jerked back when something heavy hit the door and it slammed shut. <em>Caladamn, <b>no</b> would’ve been enough!</em></p><p>Turning to her own door, she sighed, entered and felt immediately refreshed. The entire room was smelling intensely of Komichi extract, a common flower that had an uplifting effect when smelled. Checking around for the source of it, she found an intensely yellow candle, cold and burned just a little. <em>I don’t remember buying a candle… did one of the other residents come in here and leave this for me? But who? I’ve only met Kris, Tria, Rila, Milala, Siaka… I don’t think anyone but Tria would have but… maybe I ought to ask Rila… or not. I can’t keep running to her for every little thing.</em></p><p>Closing and then locking the door, she sat down on her bed, sighed, and then her stomach gargled again, in a loud and unpleasant way. <em>Siaka did say I should get something to eat. </em><em>And then I need to figure out what I’m doing today. I should probably check with Rila if she has any chores for me and if not… maybe introduce myself to whoever is in Four-Three? Or maybe go find Melodi? I did fail at that yesterday. Ugh. First things first.</em></p><p>Standing up, she stripped, throwing her old clothes onto her bed. <em>I wonder if I’ll actually get to sleep in here much. If Siaka is anything to go by, I’ll probably end up spending the night with plenty of the others. The last five minutes of being with her aside, Siaka was… okay? Yeah. She was all bossy but she’s actually nice. Kinda. I don’t know. She’s good at kissing… </em></p><p>Taking a set of underwear that was identical to what was now probably just rags of cloth down in Siaka’s room, Misa put them on and felt relieved. <em>This is how it should be. Being naked is for the bath or showers or… well, sex. But just for sleeping? </em><em>Nope.</em></p><p>Looking at her choices for attire, Misa felt somewhat defeated. <em>Compared to the stuff I’ve seen around the house, this just screams country bumpkin all over… I’ll have to buy some new things with my first paycheck. And get one of those print magazines for what is fashionable. I don’t think I’d survive asking Rila. She’d tease me for days. Maybe Tria happens to know… well, she’d know about snake folks fashion. Ugh!</em></p><p>Grabbing a long black sleeveless top with thin shoulder straps, Misa completed it with a medium length black skirt. Abandoning the flat shoes from the day before, she grabbed a pair of ankle boots – short boots that just reached above the ankle – that came with a low but for her comfortable heel. Feeling the lift provided to her, Misa felt better. <em>So much stuff to buy. And here I was thinking like I was gonna be able to send money back.</em></p><p>Going to the window and opening it up, she felt a gust of air hit her and blew her hair all over, getting tangled up in her horns. <em>Oh </em><em><b>Caladamn!</b></em><em> This morning kinda sucks.</em></p><p>Working on her hair, she got hit by two more gusts before she went back to her bed, sat down, and continued there. <em>I have no idea what time it is. I need to buy a clock.</em> She had brought one from home but it didn’t survive the first hectic, overslept morning because she stepped on it.</p><p><em>I’ll go see Rila first. There’s always more chores and while I do that I can figure out what else I should do</em>.</p><p>Going back downstairs, she didn’t bother to lock her room, she sprinted back up, went to where she had put her pants and fished out the money that was still in the back pocket. With wide eyes she stored it in one of the skirt pockets and didn’t like how that felt. <em>I need to buy a pouch… </em></p><p>Finally succeeding in going down to the third floor, she didn’t even need to knock to get Rila’s attention. “Up early? Now that I like to see.” The Gargoyle landlord was just coming out of her own room, wearing formfitting blue janes and a tube top that only covered the front but showing cleavage, while also leaving the back wide open for her wings. She also wore white pumps with minimum heel to them.</p><p><em>Do Gargoyles even sleep? Is that a rude question to ask? And what are those shoes…</em> “I… spent the night at Siaka’s so-”</p><p>“How’s sex with her?” Rila sounded enthused to know. “Come.” Lightly gesturing with her right hand at Misa, Rila had her follow outside.</p><p>“We didn’t get to that.”</p><p>“No? Pity. I was curious.”</p><p>“I wouldn’t talk about that even if we did have sex. Didn’t I say to not test me like this?”</p><p>“That wasn’t a test.”</p><p>“Even worse then!”</p><p>“That’s fine. As the landlord and being really hot I can get away with it.”</p><p>“Uh… that’s not how that works, I think.”</p><p>“Does so in the city.”</p><p>“No, no, no, pretty sure <b>that</b> sorta thing is universal everywhere!”</p><p>“Well, keep those juicy details then. I’ll just go find a brothel with a Jinko on staff.”</p><p>“Uh huh…” <em>Sometimes she’s <b>so</b> hard to deal with!</em></p><p>Standing outside, Rila seemed to be waiting on someone and then sat down in the grass, legs angled like little arches and arms resting on her knees. “So how’s life here?”</p><p>“<b>How</b>?”</p><p>“You think you can keep it up?”</p><p>“Siaka got me pretty drunk but other than that-” Misa’s stomach growled and she felt a rather dire need for a moment before it passed harmlessly. “I think I need to find breakfast.”</p><p>“That’s where we are going.”</p><p>“We are?”</p><p>“In a minute.”</p><p>“A minute?”</p><p>“You know, there is a monster that is called a Mimic that imitates the last thing it sees and hears.”</p><p>“Gee, thanks.”</p><p>“Relax. You can’t be <b>that</b> hungry.”</p><p>“It’s about something Siaka gave me for my hangover.”</p><p>“You’re hung over?”</p><p>“Was.”</p><p>“That must have been a stiff drink.”</p><p>“The opposite actually. It was all-” Misa covered her mouth in panic. “Forget I said that. Siaka is probably using what I said to market stuff and-”</p><p>“You worry too much. Do you really think I would mess with the business of a tenant?”</p><p>Misa gave her the most obvious <em>I am sure you would</em> look one could imagine.</p><p>“Now look…”</p><p>“Do Gargoyles get drunk?”</p><p>“That’s a bit complicated. We technically don’t have all the organs that most of you do.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>“Solid stone and all. But the older we are, the more we become like you.”</p><p>“How’s that?”</p><p>“Basically, what makes us move gets better at adapting. The only thing we’re born with is basically a stomach. We eat, we drink and sleep, but it is basically all about maintenance. What we eat is converted into fuel for the magic that animates us. What we drink is what maintains our bodies being supple. And sleep is so that maintenance can be performed well and without impeding our normal lives.”</p><p>“I’m sorry if that was rude to ask.”</p><p>“No you’re not.” Rila grinned. “If you actually thought this was something to be sorry about, you wouldn’t ask in the first place, right?”</p><p>“I… guess…”</p><p>“Don’t worry. This is basically common knowledge for lots of folks.”</p><p>Misa was back to being ever so slightly annoyed. “Sorry for not having a handful of common sense.”</p><p>“Not complaining.”</p><p>“So what are we waiting-<b>kyah</b>!” Misa jumped out of reflex when something suddenly landed next to her on the ground.</p><p>“Tail Tales here!” A small Harpy with a big bag mounted to her chest had landed there, short white hair, bright blue and white wings, her clothes short trousers and a uniform shirt that had a large poofy tail printed on the back. She was about a hundred and fifty centimeters tall in Dwarven measurements. And most of all, her voice was really spunky.</p><p>“Misa.” Rila got the Demon’s attention, pulled a single silver coin out from between her breasts and flipped it over to her new hire. “Pay the girl.”</p><p>“Pay-” It clicked. <em>Oh, she’s a newspaper delivery girl. But one full Adra for a newspaper? It’s the Tail Tales but still, that’s kind of… expensive.</em> “Where do I-”</p><p>“Please put all the money in the pouch here.” The Harpy gestured with her right wing towards the bottom of the bag.</p><p>“Filling in for Mis again?” Rila struck up a conversation with the Harpy.</p><p>“She’s regrowing her plumage now so it’ll be me or Fariri the next few cycles.”</p><p>“How is she?”</p><p>“Bored!” The Harpy responded with a big smile. “I brought her a book yesterday so hopefully that keeps her busy.”</p><p>“Any word on my offer?”</p><p>“Oh, that!” The Harpy looked at Misa with a smile. “Please take one of the papers out.”</p><p>“Right, right!” <em>This is so… weird. I guess Harpies can do this because they’re so slender. If Rila or I tried to mount a bag to our chest it’d… I don’t even wanna think about how silly that would look.</em></p><p>“Mis says sorry, but she’s got her eye on someone now!”</p><p>Rila sighed. “I guess that was to be expected. Tell her good luck.”</p><p>“Will do!”</p><p>“So what is the special today?”</p><p>Misa was following the conversation but not understanding much of it. <em>The special? Is she also delivering food?</em></p><p>“The Broken Mirror is going to come to town soon apparently. They’re on their way from the Dark Lands.”</p><p>“Really? <b>That</b> Broken Mirror?”</p><p>The Harpy nodded twice. “That’s the info. Oh, and there’s new regulations in the talks about the Riversight building project.”</p><p>“Hohooo.” Rila sounded very interested. “Thanks. Say hello to Fariri for me.”</p><p>“Will do. Can you give me a lift?”</p><p>“Sure.” Rila got up, walked over to the Harpy and stretched out her tail, making it lie on the ground.</p><p>“Thanks as always!”</p><p>Misa jumped aside when Rila suddenly catapulted the Harpy into the air as if she weighed nothing whatsoever, like her tail was a launch cannon. <em>What the-! By Calam, that seems dangerous!</em></p><p>The Harpy was flapping in the air now and started to make her exit. “Bye!” And gone she was. Looking after her, Misa noticed dozens of Harpies flying out and about, delivering newspapers. Not to everyone, which struck her as strange.</p><p>“Never seen the Tail Tale delivery service before?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Now you have.”</p><p>“Evidently.”</p><p>“Surprised?”</p><p>“A lot.”</p><p>“She’s cute, right?”</p><p>“You like Harpies?” <em>I get it.</em></p><p>“Among about fifty other folks.”</p><p>“<b>Fifty?!</b>”</p><p>“An open mind is key to success in all ways of life.”</p><p>“I see… what’s with that pricing anyway?” Misa was still holding the folded up newspaper.</p><p>“Give me that.” Rila gestured at Misa to hand over the goods. “Newspaper, two Yudra. Delivery, four Yudra. Special, four Yudra. Makes one Adra.”</p><p>“What’s that <b>special</b> thing about?”</p><p>“Harpies hear all sorts of things that don’t make it into the newspaper.”</p><p>“And that offer thing?”</p><p>Rila opened up the newspaper and looked at the headline. Her usually very relaxed and aloof expression hardened. “That stupid idiot.”</p><p><em>Going from zero to losing me in one sentence.</em> “What’s the headline say?”</p><p>“You can read it after me.”</p><p>“Are we going for breakfast now?”</p><p>Rila just started moving towards the street and Misa followed. The Gargoyle stopped reading the moment they went into foot traffic and looked pretty upset. She folded the newspaper several times and stuffed it into her back pocket.</p><p>“Something bad in the news?”</p><p>“I said- fine. Elainorea and Velvistia got into a fight over in Northern Arkis.”</p><p>“That doesn’t tell me anything.”</p><p>“This is why I said just read it yourself later.”</p><p>“Okay, okay.” <em>Wow, whatever it was, that must have been bad.</em></p><p>“What do you want for breakfast?”</p><p>“Wanna eat Prekura Pats?”</p><p>“That’s kinda heavy for breakfast.”</p><p>“I’m starving.”</p><p>“Preku Pats… There is a place a little bit further up the Toil.”</p><p>“We’ve been walking down.”</p><p>“A bit of a walk to whet the appetite.”</p><p>“<b>My</b> appetite is as wet as the ocean.”</p><p>“Move your Demon butt.”</p><p>“My butt isn’t the issue here!”</p><p>Turning about and heading back up the Toil, Misa followed after Rila. “Is there anything I ought to do today?”</p><p>“Make yourself available for the others. You fixed one of our problem girls already so that’s a really good start.”</p><p>“I’m not sure if I am <em>fixing</em> or <em>enabling</em>.”</p><p>“The end result is Milala being clean and no more fights between her and Siaka.”</p><p>“Well, yeah. Probably.”</p><p>“It’s not your job to fix their personality flaws. Just to make sure those flaws don’t get in the way of living at the house.”</p><p>“That sounds kind of… sad.”</p><p>“If you <b>can</b> fix them, by all means, go ahead.” Rila’s tail moved left and right in front of Misa and it was mildly distracting.</p><p>“So should I go and introduce myself to Melodi later?”</p><p>“Maybe. I think it’s a good idea if you go down to the second floor once. The top is fine for that but wear janes.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“You’ll get wet. Definitely.”</p><p>“Janes it is.”</p><p>“This is the place.”</p><p>“Huh?!” Misa looked to her left and there it was, a truly small restaurant with barely enough space to fit four people inside. “This is barely two minutes walking from the house!” Misa turned around. <em>I can even </em><em><b>see</b></em><em> the house from here even!</em></p><p>“So?”</p><p>“So why didn’t we come here right away?”</p><p>“Are you always this cranky in the mornings?” Rila was giving her an annoyed look now.</p><p><em>Caladamn she’s right.</em> “Sorry, I woke up with a murder headache and Siaka’s real pushy in the mornings and my stomach’s been killing me and-”</p><p>“<b>No</b> would’ve been enough.” Going through the open door, Rila raised her voice. “Two seats!”</p><p>“Why’d you shout?”</p><p>“The kitchen is noisy. Just good etiquette in a small place like this.”</p><p>The room, it really was just a singular room on the base floor of a building, was cut into two sections. To the right of coming in, two tables, each for two people. The chairs were just round cushions on metal poles, the tables were high and could be used while standing up as well. The tables themselves small squares. Everything felt sort of squeezed. To the left was a kitchen, barricaded off with wooden paneling other than a thin cloth curtain between both tables. Sound found its way through all the same.</p><p>The ceiling was low, the air was heavy with boiling oil and savory meat, and it definitely felt more like something to be found in a back alley.</p><p>A singular Human man was at the table to the back. <em>I still can’t get used to the way they look.</em></p><p>Sitting at the table in the front, Misa read a menu that was printed onto the table itself. The eatery only sold four things in total; <em>Egg and Prekura, Pickles and Prekura, Extra crispy Prekura, Juuchu and Prekura.</em> “What’s Juuchu?”</p><p>“Alcohol.” Rila remained standing and this didn’t escape Misa.</p><p>“Never heard of it before.” She slid down from her chair and earned just a swift smirk from Rila in response.</p><p>“It’s originally from Inano.”</p><p>“From <b>where</b>?”</p><p>“It’s called Rahi now.”</p><p>“Oh, the far east.”</p><p>“Yep.”</p><p>A woman with crimson red hair tied into a huge bun, dark reddish skin, lizard-like lower arms and legs and a tail that was on fire stepped out. She was a little shorter than Misa. “Two? Orders?”</p><p>“Pickles and Prekura.”</p><p><em>I haven’t even- errr- </em>“Pickles and Prekura.”</p><p>“Got it.” Going back into the kitchen, Misa heard something being relayed but she had no idea what it was.</p><p>“Don’t worry, as long as you stay off the Juuchu, you can’t go wrong here.” Rila seemed to be guessing that Misa had rushed her decision.</p><p>“Inano?”</p><p>“Long time ago. Keep slipping up.”</p><p>“You’re not tricking me into asking your age!”</p><p>“I’m not trying to trick you. I’ve been alive for a spell or two.”</p><p>“How strong is that Juuchu stuff?”</p><p>“Let’s put it this way. Siaka wouldn’t let you drink that.”</p><p>“Wow.”</p><p>“It knocks your boots off.”</p><p>“How do Gargoyles taste stuff?”</p><p>Sticking out her tongue, Rila revealed that it was covered in almost as much wetness as the tongue of any living being. “It’s a bit too technical to discuss over breakfast, but I can taste things. So when you come to spend the night, take a shower first.”</p><p>“I would have without you telling me!” Misa couldn’t help but look embarrassed. She avoided a blush at least. Glancing at the Human male at the other table that paid them absolutely no mind, her being distracted did not escape Rila.</p><p>“You must have seen Humans before.”</p><p>“Of course. Just… until I came to this city, I’ve never seen a male before.”</p><p>“Really? Just how-”</p><p>“Can we please not make fun of me living far away from the capital anymore?” She didn’t even wanna hear boonies anymore.</p><p>“That’ll be hard.”</p><p>Misa grimaced. “Please try.”</p><p>“For now I’ll try a little.”</p><p>“That’s kind of mean.”</p><p>“You’ll get used to it.”</p><p>“I don’t wanna!”</p><p>“So you really never saw any males before?”</p><p>“I mean there aren’t exactly a lot of them or anything!”</p><p>“Well, that’s true.”</p><p>“What about you?”</p><p>“Seen plenty. Not a fan.”</p><p>“They’re kinda… weird, right?”</p><p>“I wouldn’t go that far. Just not a fan of the way they look. They can cover your back just as well as a woman could, but beyond that I don’t really make it a habit to hang out with them.”</p><p>“And they’re kinda necessary for their own kind.”</p><p>“That too. Humans are really… how do I put this. They’re not the smartest or strongest or fastest or most powerful, nothing like that. But they can do lots of things. They’re incredibly versatile.”</p><p>“We’d all look stupid without Dwarven engineering or the Elvish knowledge about nature, too.”</p><p>“Fan or not, they’re necessary.”</p><p>“They’re not rude or anything either.”</p><p>“<b>Some</b> are, but the same goes for women.”</p><p>“How’d you come up with the idea for the house anyway?”</p><p>“That’s out of the dark. Well, some time ago I kind of lived with some friends of mine and I liked the company. I had the money, so I bought the land, had the house built and started putting out the word. My friends and I had someone to help us out with food and such, that’s where your position came in.”</p><p>“Now I gotta ask… that Banshee-”</p><p>The curtains moved and the same lizard like woman came out. “Two Prekura with Pickles.” Putting down two large plates, the woman vanished quickly and brought back two small bowls; breakfast was served.</p><p>Prekura was a type of baked pastry filled with meat. A thick, chewy layer of dough was formed around grilled and seasoned meat and then the pastry was baked. It was a very simple dish that originally existed in the same form with fish in Rahi, far to the east.</p><p>“Gyarg shavi shali altis.” Rila was, for Misa, speaking gibberish. “One of the old languages, don’t worry about it.”</p><p>“Did it show on my face?”</p><p>“Yep.”</p><p>“Uh, what about cutlery?”</p><p>Rila picked up the pasty with her bare hands and bit into it. “Haaa~ haaa~ hot!”</p><p>Watching Rila eat, Misa had even more questions than before. <em>Do Gargoyles… use the toilet? Do they even have… lets not think about that during breakfast.</em> Grabbing the pasty with both hands, she immediately dropped it back on the plate. <em>“</em><b>Hot!</b>”</p><p>“Hoo~ hoo~, don’t worry, cools off quick.” Rila took a second bite and nodded to the side, right by the wall, where a tiny line of a window sill like wooden extension was mounted to the wall. On it were a few cups with wooden sticks. “Used them before?”</p><p><em>Oh crap.</em> “Uh… a few times but…” <em>I’m <b>terrible</b> with them!</em></p><p>Putting down her food, reaching over, Rila grabbed two sets. Breaking them apart, she handed it over to Misa. “Watch.”</p><p>Holding the wooden sticks in hand, like a dagger, she just rammed them top down into the large slices of pickles and used the sticks like a fork. “See? Easy.”</p><p>“That’s… usually you… I mean aren’t you supposed…” Misa didn’t know what to think there. Instead she just grabbed her own sticks and imitated Rila. <em>When in Nilf do as the Nilfers do</em>. The Demon realm capital was called Nilf.</p><p>Eating two and then two more slices of pickles, Misa tried to hold the pastry again. It was still as hot as freshly grilled food, but she could bear it long enough to take a huge bite out of it. The chewy, thick dough was like a casing for the savoriness and juices of the meat inside, distilling the umami and making the meat especially tender.</p><p>Putting it down, flicking her hands about, Misa repeated the act. “This is real good!” Speaking with her mouth half full, she looked already in better spirits than five minutes ago.</p><p>“The first time you go down to the first floor, have someone from the second look out for you.” Rila took a quick breather to talk.</p><p>“Why’s that?” Misa didn’t.</p><p>“You need to actually breathe in the water, let it into your lungs. For land dwelling people that usually freaks them out. I’ve seen some of them have panic attacks. The last aide was so scared of it despite thousands of people using Mizuuki herbs on a daily basis… Kris was <b>so</b> annoyed.”</p><p>“Kind of get that.” Misa had gorged herself on the Prekura and pickles, leaving nothing behind. “Excuse me! One Prekura with Egg!”</p><p>“Someone’s hungry.”</p><p>The redhead from before looked back out. “Prekura with Egg?”</p><p>“One, yes!” Misa turned back at Rila. “Starving. Somehow. Normally I’m not that big an eater.”</p><p>“New job, new life, eating is good to get rid of stress. You’ll need the energy.”</p><p>“Breathing in water must feel like drowning.”</p><p>“Some people have likened it to that, but it’s really safe.”</p><p>“What about the water when it wears off?”</p><p>“The membrane coming off pushes out the water. You’ll start to feel a tingle in your lungs a few minutes before it’s time so accidents with it are really rare.”</p><p>“I mean even knowing it’s safe… I’ll figure something out.”</p><p>“Like I said, have someone go with you.”</p><p>“Will do.”</p><p>Rila continued to eat, taking her time now, while Misa daydreamed for a moment. <em>Underwater breathing… crazy the things people come up with.</em> “Rila.”</p><p>“Hm?”</p><p>“Do we have any… really difficult to handle folks in the house?”</p><p>“You mean like a Sphinx or a single Valkyrie?”</p><p>“Let’s keep it <em>possible to handle without going insane</em> level of difficult.”</p><p>“So then like a Koujou or a Weresheep?”</p><p>Misa at least knew what a Weresheep was. “Something like that.”</p><p>“Not exactly, but I guess it depends on how adaptable you are.”</p><p>“You could just tell me who the others are.”</p><p>“That’d be no fun.”</p><p>“I am not sure how this is <b>fun</b> to you.”</p><p>Rila started to laugh, much harder than was normal as a response to a fairly appropriate assessment. “Sorry, sorry, you looked and sounded <b>just</b> like her there.”</p><p>“Who?”</p><p>“Friend. Not around anymore.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>“Don’t worry about it. It’s just amusing to me. She used to that say those exact words to me a lot.”</p><p>“So you’ve always been like this?”</p><p>“You mean beautiful, clever, smart, mysterious and enchanting?”</p><p>“Not the exact words I would use.”</p><p>“That would be weird if you did.”</p><p><em>Are <b>all</b> Gargoyles like this? By Calam… </em>“What do you mean by <b>adaptable</b> anyway?”</p><p>“Pretty much what it always means.” Rila finished her Prekura. “Double up on the Prekura with Egg!” Shouting, she got a loud but indecipherable answer from the kitchen. “If you want me to be more specific-”</p><p>“<b>That</b>’d be great.”</p><p>“Keeping an open mind, especially about how some of us deal with work, love and sex.”</p><p>“I think I already got a check on that first one. Maybe the third too.”</p><p>“No way.” Rila chuckled. “You haven’t scratched the surface of what real weirdness is like.”</p><p>“Wow, reassuring.”</p><p>“Right? So much fun times ahead.”</p><p>“Just tell me who else lives in the house!”</p><p>Rila showed a big, mean grin. “No.”</p><p>Grunting, and flexing her fingers, Misa felt frustrated. <em>This damn Gargoyle! Mother is less stubborn than her and that is <b>quite</b> the achievement!</em> “Just tell me! Come on!”</p><p>“You are awfully insistent. Do you hate surprises that much?”</p><p>“In this circumstance? Yes!”</p><p>“Okay, okay.”</p><p>“So you’ll tell me?”</p><p>“Of course not.”</p><p>There was a grinding noise that came from Misa’s teeth. <em>I hate it! I hate it! And the more annoyed I get the more she is enjoying herself! This sadist Gargoyle!</em> “Fine. Then.”</p><p>The curtain was passed through and the same lady as before put their second orders down on the table and the old dishes were collected. Unlike the pickles, the egg was served in its fried form, a neat round shape with a big yellow blob in the middle, right on top of the Prekura. “Your Prekura with Egg.”</p><p>Looking down at the pastry, Misa was certain of something. <em>There is no way to eat this with my bare hands without making a mess.</em> Looking up, she watched Rila cut a section of the pastry through with her sticks and then stabbed it in the side. <em>Mother would have a heart attack</em>.<em> But she’s not here, so…</em> Misa did the same. Cutting about a fifth of the pastry off by just squeezing through it with her sticks, she stabbed it. <em>Sorry Mother.</em></p><p>“Tell you what.” Rila licked her lips as she just finished her piece. “I’ll tell you everyone’s name. How’s that sound?”</p><p>“Kind of like you’re still teasing me.”</p><p>“Me? Tease my new hire? Never!”</p><p>“I wonder if there’s some administration board I can complain to…”</p><p>“That would be the assisted housing chief of operations. Tell her I said hi.”</p><p>“Of course you know her.”</p><p>“Hehe.”</p><p>“Actually, you know what, just the names will drive me crazy, so pass.”</p><p>“Oh, smart girl.”</p><p>“You never intended on telling me, were you?”</p><p>“Now, now, I would have told you. Not that the names would mean anything to you.”</p><p>“Figures.”</p><p>“But if you are able to put up with me like this, I won’t have to worry about some of the others. The girl in Four-Three can be a handful. Six-Two, too.”</p><p>“Are there any special services for the winged folks on the sixth floor?”</p><p>“Like?”</p><p>“There’s no plumbing up there, right?”</p><p>“There is.”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“You think <b>all</b> those supports are just support? They’re winged folks, not Minotaurs.”</p><p>“I mean… material uh… structural integrity stuff and whatever…” <em>What, </em><em><b>really</b></em><em>?</em></p><p>“You don’t see it, but it’s basically a metal construct coated with lightweight Isunawa.” Perhaps because she saw the <em>What is that</em> look that was definitely on Misa’s face, she continued. “Lightweight, heat resistant stone. Folks in Halfurth like this stuff a lot.”</p><p>“But for pipes-”</p><p>“Pipes can go diagonal, you know?”</p><p>“Right…”</p><p>“Normally you wouldn’t have plumbing for winged folk abodes but in Sunprime season, the tanks can get a bit smelly and I didn’t want that.”</p><p>“So they have running water up there?”</p><p>“Mostly for toilets. I am pretty sure at least two of them go to salons for bathing.”</p><p>“Salons?”</p><p>“You must’ve seen them around. Feather folk salons for bathing.”</p><p>“Now that you mention it.”</p><p>“It’s a lotta work to keep a Harpy, Griffon or Gandharva clean. Don’t even get me started on Thunderbirds.”</p><p>“So the plumbing is for cooking and the toilet only?”</p><p>“Again, mostly the toilet. Winged folks don’t really do their own cooking. We haven’t quite figured out ways to do that. A while back someone came up with a pressure based lever system but it was so complex that it lead to many accidents and was deemed a failure.”</p><p>“Wow.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Just… you know, when I think about having running water, it’s just kinda… normal to me? I never really thought about stuff like there being rejected inventions and such.”</p><p>“Running water is a fairly new thing, too.”</p><p>“What.”</p><p>“It’s only become adapted far and wide since about… two-hundred great cycles ago or something like that.”</p><p>“You know a lot.”</p><p>“I had a house built. So, this was mostly things I had to know. Come on, let’s finish eating. There’s somewhere I wanna take you.”</p><p>“Where?” Misa had been sneaking bites here and there. The gooey, runny egg matched the dough and meat really well.</p><p>“Full of questions.”</p><p>“I wanna say anyone would ask this one.”</p><p>“Well, you have a point there.”</p><p>“So, where?”</p><p>“Having a point doesn’t change anything.”</p><p>“Of course it doesn’t.” <em>This…! Damn…! Gargoyle…! </em><em><b>By Calam</b></em><em>!</em></p><p>“Payment!” Rila shouted again and this time it wasn’t the redhead that came out but a girl that had a black leather apron on, black hair but otherwise bore the same dark reddish skin and lizard features as the waitress.</p><p>“Oh, Rila. Thought that was you.” The lady had a voice that was uncharacteristically high for how she looked. “Tab?”</p><p>“Do I <b>ever</b> create a tab?”</p><p>“Six Adra, four Yura.”</p><p>“How’s Saiaka?”</p><p>The woman rolled her eyes. “In full vacation mode.”</p><p>Pulling a single gold coin out from between her breasts, Rila handed it to the black haired woman. “Make it ten Adra. And tell your daughter that customer services is more than just bringing out dishes.”</p><p>“You think I haven’t tried?” She sighed and then smiled. “Thanks for the patronage. Who’s this? A date?”</p><p>“Hah, a date. Well, she’s cute enough, but experience wise, Sharit no.”</p><p>The lady looked at Misa. “Yeah, she’s cute. Beginner?”</p><p>“New hire at my place.”</p><p>A long, intense look was placed on Misa and she felt like shrinking to the size of a Ratatoskr and scurry away in a hurry. “Uhm…”</p><p>“You ever want to learn a bit of eastern cooking, feel free to drop by.”</p><p>“Really?” <em>Ah… </em>She didn’t mean to say that out loud.</p><p>“Rila’s been good business.”</p><p>“Say I’m a friend, you slime!”</p><p>“Who’re you calling a slime you Dorome?!”</p><p>The waitress, the daughter, came out onto the floor. “Mom, the Prekura.”</p><p>“Hiko, get ten Adra of change to Rila.”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>The woman sighed. “See what I put up with?”</p><p>“She’ll learn the trade eventually. Say hello to your wife for me.”</p><p>“Will do.”</p><p>Stepping away from the table, Rila looked at Misa. “Let’s go.” She lowered her voice and not so quietly snorted. “A date. By Kioko.”</p><p>Leaving behind the eatery, the air outside felt especially fresh and Misa involuntarily stretched her wings and tail before stepping onto the street proper. “Can you at least tell me which part of the city-”</p><p>“We’re going to Chantelise.”</p><p>“Eh?” Misa needed a moment to process that. “<b>There?!</b>”</p><p>“What are you so surprised about? I told you I’d get you started on some decent underwear.”</p><p>“I didn’t think that meant the next day!”</p><p>Rila slowly walked in front of Misa and then stopped. “Aren’t you getting the wrong idea here?”</p><p>“How?” Joining Rila by her side, Misa resumed walking when her employer did.</p><p>“You’ll see.” Rila smirked. “It’s kind of cute, you know? This not knowing anything shtick.”</p><p>“It’s not a shtick! And don’t say I don’t know anything!”</p><p>“How you get upset is also cute.”</p><p>“You’re ruining the word cute!”</p><p>“Am I now?”</p><p>“Yes!”</p><p>“The first piece is obviously going to be about me.”</p><p>“Piece? Oh you mean the, uh-”</p><p>“Lingerie.”</p><p>“That.”</p><p>“So spend your time until we get to Chantelise wisely. You’ll need to have something figured out to tell her.”</p><p>“Uh…” <em>What.</em> “Are you serious?”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>Misa felt a chill. <em>How am I supposed to come up with </em><em>a design for fancy lingerie all of a sudden?</em> Walking by Rila’s side without really looking where she was going, Misa launched into full brainstorming mode. <em>So… does Rila like something that shows more skin? I’ll… I’ll be on top, so something that looks nice to look at from below? Argh, what does that even </em><em><b>mean</b></em><em>?! She had fur stuff on that one time so maybe… something with furs for being soft? But what if that’s just for herself and she wants something else entirely on me? Leather? Lace? Uh… what else… Do I try for a typical top and bottom combination? Something like a night shirt? A dress? Something very thin? Or thick? I probably don’t need to worry about it being resistant to fluids… although her tongue did look kinda normal… so… so… Why now? I just ate and… was it a hint going there? Does she want me to dress up like them? But I couldn’t exactly see what they had on under and this is about underwear and not a costume and… I hate this Gargoyle. Springing this on me all of a sudden. What am I supposed to do? Maybe I’ll just go for furs after all, how much can she possibly dislike it if she had it </em><em>on</em><em> herself? But what base material and shape and-</em></p><p>“This is a little too pathetic to watch to be funny.”</p><p>“Huhwhatdidyousaywhat?” Misa was taken out of her thoughts and everything was flushed down a mental drain. <em>Arrgggh and I think I just had it!</em></p><p>“What are you <b>doing</b>?”</p><p>“Thinking?! Like you told me?!”</p><p>“I told you to use your time wisely, not shut yourself in that confused mind of yours.”</p><p>“Then how-?!”</p><p>Rila sighed. “Ask.”</p><p>“Ask what?”</p><p>“What I like?”</p><p>“But… I thought this was supposed to be a surprise for you-”</p><p>“Why would I want that? This is something you’ll wear for me when I ask you to stay the night and sleep with me. I want it to be as tailor-made for me as possible.”</p><p>“That was such a misleading way to tell me!”</p><p>“I don’t think so.”</p><p>“It totally-” Misa shook her head. “So what <b>do</b> you like?”</p><p>“On you? Hm… surprise me.”</p><p>“<b>Now look here!</b>”</p><p>“I’m kidding.” Rila chuckled. “I like furs. But they can be itchy to wear, so for this, furs on the outside. With your skin… white or brown furs on a base of soft leather fitted inside with something pleasant for you. That part you’ll have to figure out, but Chantelise has a number of materials on hand to pick from. As for the shape… you’re not that busty, so for the top, I want something that covers your breasts whole. Maybe have the strings go around your neck instead of over your shoulders. Yeah that sounds good.”</p><p>“That’s a lot of really detailed expectations… is everyone going to be this forthcoming?”</p><p>“Just ask them. You wear it for them, remember?”</p><p>“Okay, sure.”</p><p>“For the bottom part… I want something with a lot of strings going over your hips.”</p><p>“Huh? Why?”</p><p>“It’s fancy, there doesn’t need to be a reason.”</p><p>“Sure.”</p><p>“Have it made from leather.”</p><p>“Leather? That’ll chafe…”</p><p>“Cheap materials would.”</p><p>“I get it. Strings and leather…”</p><p>“Make it cover your whole butt and leave a hole for your tail.”</p><p>“That’ll make it a real pain to put on!”</p><p>“So what?”</p><p>“Got it.” <em>I thought this would be </em><em><b>better</b></em><em> than thinking of something myself but now I am basically going to have to follow all of these requests to the letter.</em></p><p>“Don’t make the top have any support.”</p><p>“Why that?”</p><p>“At your Nume, with just a bit of support you’ll show me not enough bouncing.”</p><p>Misa blushed. “I… see.”</p><p>“You’ll have to be open about what the girls want or you’ll not last.”</p><p>“Siaka did call my breasts kinda small…”</p><p>“For her you’ll probably have to take a Nyko potion. Or two.”</p><p>“A what?”</p><p>“Makes your boobs bigger for about half a day.”</p><p>Misa stopped. She hadn’t really paid attention to her surroundings for a while now and noticed they had walked around the edge of the eastern market and made it to the southern reaches of it. “It does what?” She caught up to Rila right after and kept walking with her.</p><p>“What, you’ve never heard of that? Nyko and Nihn potions are the most common potions used in brothels around the world. Everyone has their own idea of a perfect size, so that’s where those come in. Make them as big or small as you want.”</p><p>“Seriously.” <em>Seriously?</em></p><p>“Of course. Making, transporting and selling those potions is a huge business.”</p><p>“I never knew… I wonder if that’s how Maina’s boobs got so big.”</p><p>“Those potions are strictly temporary. If you want something permanent, it’ll cost a lot of money for a Witch to cast a body alteration spell on you.”</p><p>“I’m good, thanks.”</p><p>“Just as a precaution, if one of the girls asks you to take one of those, you will.”</p><p>“Are there any side effects?”</p><p>“Increased appetite to replenish the calories the potion burns.”</p><p>“Only that?”</p><p>“Only that.”</p><p>“So about your request…”</p><p>“Yours are a nice size for being on top. Too big and kissing becomes a problem. Too little and it’s boring to look at. You could say I like medium to big, but not small or very big.”</p><p>“This is… gonna be a lot to remember.”</p><p>“Procuring the potions is on the girls, not you. They can ask you to buy one though and pay you back, so it’s a good idea to just keep a stock in your room.”</p><p>“For just a few hours I was thinking the sex services thing was just something I imagined and-”</p><p>“If you can’t deal with this, quit. I’m not joking.”</p><p>“No! I’ll handle it!” <em>I need this job.</em></p><p>“Good. I think both Milala and Siaka like you.”</p><p>“How come?”</p><p>“They both told me that it was good of me to hire you on.”</p><p>“Ohhh.” <em>Yes!</em></p><p>“There’s a brothel called <em>Eight Ways</em> just around the corner from where main street ends. You can ask them to sell you some extra potions.”</p><p>“What’s that place like?”</p><p>“Mainly by and for snake folks. One of the girls is strong enough to let me go on top even.”</p><p><em>That must be one powerful Lamia. Or someone like it.</em> “Will they just sell to me like that?”</p><p>“Tell them you work at Lillium.”</p><p>“At… what?”</p><p>“The house. That’s what its name is.”</p><p>“I need to buy a notepad.”</p><p>“Forget anything and just ask. This <b>is</b> a tough job that needs you to learn a few things, especially if you’re not from a brothel background.”</p><p>“Just… uh, how many brothels do you think there are in Minais Sho?”</p><p>“In the <b>entire city</b>?” Rila sounded bewildered. “Over a hundred for sure.”</p><p>“A <b>hundred</b>?!”</p><p>“At least. It’s a big and lucrative business. If you become famous, you can make a ton of money.”</p><p>“How much is a ton?”</p><p>“Lady Shari, the top prostitute over at Shanris Al Da, reportedly made upwards of eighty Eldra last great cycle.”</p><p>“Eight… thy… el…” Misa’s mind was not comprehending the magnitude of so much money.</p><p>“Don’t hesitate to ask Chantelise for the really good materials. I’m not paying for this unless I get the best possible product.”</p><p>“Eight… yeah…” <em>How does… anyone… what kinda service… just how… </em>She stumbled backward and nearly fell over when something hit her like a Witch’s explosion spell, knocking the air out of her sails. “What in Calam-!” She coughed. <em>Ow!</em></p><p>“You were about to leave your body behind and return to Tashi Mano to be reborn. There are lots of rich people. This city is largely built on their money.”</p><p>“Okay, okay… did you hit me with your tail?!”</p><p>“Just a little bit.”</p><p>“It hurt!”</p><p>“And you didn’t break anything.”</p><p>Misa opened her mouth, closed it and then raised her right index finger. “Just… in theory, if you would hit me with full strength.”</p><p>“Forget breaking anything, I’d tear you in half by the waist or smash a hole into your body.”</p><p>“Okay, frightening. Very much so.”</p><p>“Don’t worry too much. There’s tons of folks that could kill you near instantly, but you don’t shudder every time a Minotaurus, Ogre or Golem walks by, do you?”</p><p>“Nope. I mean… they’re all very peaceful and- oh.”</p><p>“See?”</p><p>Scratching her cheek, Misa bowed. “I’m sorry.”</p><p>“It’s nothing so serious you need to apologize for it. But thanks, I guess. Now come on, I want to get to Chantelise’s before noon.”</p><p>“Do you have an appointment?”</p><p>“I have to visit an old friend.”</p><p>“At least the <em>mysterious</em> part is right.”</p><p>Rila seemed to need to a moment to realize what Misa was getting at. “Hah, they are all right.”</p><p>“Rila!” Someone was calling out to her from up ahead. Misa was not familiar with the area since the last time she went to see Chantelise she had gone there from the central market.</p><p>A woman that was half snake, her body a dark lilac and her scaling almost black. Even from the distance, Misa could make out she was really busty and just covered in adornments of silver and gold. <em>What kind is she?</em></p><p>“Sorry Mephala, just passing through!” Rila waved to the snake lady that was over ten steps out. “Lets go left here.” Taking another alley, they got out of sight before the woman could respond.</p><p>“Who was that? And what kind of snake folk was she?”</p><p>“Mephala, an Apophis. She’s… well, the brothel she works at is for advanced customers only. They only take people through referral.”</p><p>“Advanced?”</p><p>“Apophis, Weresheep, Basilisk, Medusa, Witches, Cupids, Vampires.” Rila counted a number of folks. “They deal in more… extreme ways of sex. Sometimes controlled near-death experiences or torture play. There’s a waver to sign and everything.”</p><p>“...” Misa was at a loss for words. “Rila, uh…”</p><p>“That sort of thing is <b>not</b> covered by your contract, don’t worry.”</p><p>“Phew.”</p><p>“There’s some places like that.”</p><p>“So you’ve been there?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“I know Mephala from another brothel. The <em>Eight Ways</em> that I told you about. She was headhunted for being an Apophis.”</p><p>“Never seen her folk before.”</p><p>“They’re not that common, at least a lot more uncommon than Lamias. The brothel isn’t even her main job, she just does this for fun.”</p><p>“The world’s a lot more complicated than I expected.”</p><p>“Hahaha, it’s funny for you to say that when you only scratched the surface.”</p><p>“Hey! I’m trying!”</p><p>“I know. Doesn’t make it less funny.”</p><p>“So do you prefer being on top?”</p><p>“No, actually. I like to experience it sometimes, keeps being on the bottom fresh.”</p><p>“It’s a bit embarrassing but-”</p><p>“There’s nothing embarrassing about having little experience.”</p><p>“Easy for you to say!”</p><p>“Getting to experience how you get better over time is going to be really interesting.”</p><p>“Makes me feel like a troupe attraction.”</p><p>“Does that help?”</p><p>“No!”</p><p>“Then think of it like learning the craft of the brothels. If at some point you want to quit, you’ll be well educated on many brothel practices.”</p><p>“I don’t wanna think about quitting right after starting.”</p><p>“Glad to hear it.”</p><p>“I admit, I was a bit… unnerved when Siaka had me sleep over. If I didn’t get unexpectedly drunk, I probably would have had to sleep with her.”</p><p>“You know, I think I know what your problem is.”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“You’re worried that if you don’t fulfill whatever ridiculous expectation you think they have of you, they’ll hate you for it.”</p><p>
  <em>Caladamn… I can’t even deny it because it</em>
  <em>
    <b> feels</b>
  </em>
  <em> like that’s it…</em>
</p><p>“So you rile yourself up and get anxious about it. Let them take the lead, pay attention, enjoy it. Nobody in the house wants a lay that doesn’t share their enjoyment. Sure, when someone expects you to top, you’ll have to work a bit harder, but I don’t rent to assholes or morons. For two or three of them it might even be a fantasy to teach a naive, innocent girl from the boonies the ins and outs of sex.”</p><p>“Thanks for<b> utterly</b> destroying any self-esteem I had left.”</p><p>“You’re welcome.”</p><p>“I was being sarcastic! Forget it!” Misa groaned out loud. “I’ll do that though. I’ll… enjoy myself. As much as I can anyway! I have no idea what sex with Siaka would be like.”</p><p>“She’s a Jinko, so she’ll definitely want to use her tail.”</p><p>“That much she said already.”</p><p>“It feels pretty good if you ask me.”</p><p>“You slept with Siaka before?!”</p><p>“Not with her. I don’t make it a habit of sleeping with my tenants. Can get a little messy. No, there’s brothels here and there with a Jinko on staff.”</p><p>“I didn’t think Jinko would work at a hotel. They seem so… I dunno, just didn’t occur to me.”</p><p>“There’s not that many, but it can be a pretty prestigious job.”</p><p>“Is there any kind of folk you know of that’s definitely never worked in a brothel?”</p><p>“Probably not.”</p><p>“<b>Really</b>?!”</p><p>“You seriously need to get over this idea that brothels aren’t the top money moving business in the world.”</p><p>“They what.”</p><p>“Not repeating myself.”</p><p>“Wow…”</p><p>“Working at a brothel should never be a fallback. It’s hard to get hired there, you know?”</p><p>“Now I feel kind of dumb.”</p><p>“You are cute, and your boonies shtick is adoring, but other than that… Demons are very common, you’re a beginner at best and you barely know about other folks. I doubt anyone but family would have hired you.”</p><p>“Ugh…”</p><p>“I hired you because in my house, it doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner. Sex services is part of the deal, not the entire deal. Go right.”</p><p>Taking a corner, Misa started to hear flowing water. The path got narrower and to their left was now a shallow canal, about one and a half, maybe two steps deep. <em>A waterway? In the Labyrinth? I did hear they were expanding these, but… </em></p><p>“Are you good at swimming?”</p><p>“Uh… so-so?”</p><p>“Kris, Roya or Melodi might ask you to go to the river with them to swim or dive. For Kris and Roya especially you might be asked to have sex with them underwater, so it’ll pay off if you know how to move your body in the water for that.”</p><p>“The… sixth floor girls are not gonna ask me to have sex with them while flying, right?”</p><p>Rila broke out into laughter, stopped and bent over. “You… you ask the best questions sometimes!”</p><p>Blushing much harder now than she had ever over any sex related comment, Misa stomped. “Well excuse me, that seemed like a sensible damn question after the underwater thing!”</p><p>“You can <b>go</b> underwater! There’s nothing to make you fly! Despite your wings!”</p><p>“Sorry for being flightless! Like you’re one to talk!”</p><p>“No, it’s-” Rila was holding onto her sides. “It’s fine! I’m just… ahahaha!”</p><p>Misa’s face was turning redder by the moment now; she looked like baked eggplant. “Come on!”</p><p>“You’re-You’re right… gyahaha!” Slapping her own leg, Rila stood up. “No, no, don’t worry.” She snorted loudly. “They got beds for that sorta thing. For those three you definitely have to do most of the work.”</p><p>“Fine!” Misa was so embarrassed she couldn’t manage a better response.</p><p>“As-” Rila suppressed a laugh. “As an apology, lemme tell you that you’ll definitely wanna work on your tongue game, both up and down, for those three.”</p><p>Still red in the face, Misa at least managed to formulate a question. “Why my tongue specifically?”</p><p>“No hands means they had to think of other ways to make each other orgasm. Their feet are no good either, so it was mostly their tongues or just rubbing their slits together.”</p><p>“Oh. I guess… that makes sense.”</p><p>“<b>You</b> are gonna put your hands to work though. I can’t speak for all of them, but in general, winged folks love having their breasts touched.”</p><p>“Because they can’t.”</p><p>“Probably. Now come on, we’ll never get to Chantelise at this rate. If I’m already here, I’ll have her make me something too. What do you like?”</p><p>“<b>Me</b>?! Uh… I don’t really know. I…” She fought off false embarrassment over something that had no grounds being embarrassing. “I like those night clothes, those fancy ones that are like kind of see-through but not really.”</p><p>“I have something like that already… but not in a color that goes with you. I’ll have her make me a nice translucent black negligee.”</p><p><em>Gulp.</em> “Is that really okay?”</p><p>“I like to own fancy lingerie. It’s one of my main expenditures. And just because I want you to look pretty for me doesn’t mean I don’t want to look breathtaking for you.”</p><p>Misa did not miss the crass difference of pretty versus breathtaking but let it go. “I appreciate that.”</p><p>“Making progress already, saying all that without being unnecessarily embarrassed by it.”</p><p>“Trying!”</p><p>“Good job.”</p><p>“Where exactly are we anyway?”</p><p>“Not too far out.”</p><p>“Oh.” Misa noticed that about twenty steps ahead the canal just ended. “How does this work with all the water?”</p><p>“I haven’t looked into it, but I suspect that there’s drainage pipes below the canal that pump water in and out. There’s probably some kind of time talisman that regulates when the pipes are active.”</p><p>“Witches are crazy inventors. I couldn’t imagine half the stuff they come up with.”</p><p>“There’s inventors from many folks. One of my ancestors came up with the reinforced chairs and furniture I use today. It took some work to find the right materials and get the Dwarves on board with it, but if not for that, my living situation would be much worse.”</p><p>“I wonder if there’s anything big we Demons invented.”</p><p>“The currency we use was pioneered by the Demons.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“What do they even teach you in school over there?”</p><p>“I might not have been the very best student.” <em>Or good. Or decent.</em></p><p>“That explains a lot actually.”</p><p>“Hey!” Misa pouted. “Not that I can deny it.”</p><p>“Honesty is important. Pretenses ruin the world.”</p><p>“And yet you won’t tell me who the other residents are!”</p><p>“That’s that, this is this.”</p><p>“I bet there’s something crazy in the house and that’s why you won’t tell me. Like a Dragon!”</p><p>“No Dragons. That much I can tell you.”</p><p>“Have you ever met one?”</p><p>“A Dragon?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“Once.”</p><p>“Wow. What are they like?”</p><p>“Dragons sort of defy your understanding.”</p><p>“I meant that Dragon you met.”</p><p>“Wouldn’t stop talking.”</p><p>“What.”</p><p>“She went on for like thirty hours about a particular twist in that novel series she liked and came up with theory after theory. It was killing me.”</p><p>“That’s… not what I expected, even though I didn’t know what to expect.”</p><p>“From what I know, Dragons are really bored most of the time.”</p><p>“Bored?”</p><p>“You live for a few thousand years and you experienced most things.”</p><p>“I guess…” Misa looked up ahead and there was a dead end. Those weren’t uncommon in the Labyrinth at all. Sometimes there was like a miniature plaza that had houses accessible from all sides but the very road one came onto the plaza. Exit and entrance were one and the same. Rila turned left, then immediately right and Misa followed.</p><p>“Have you been to Chantelise a lot?”</p><p>“I introduced most of the girls to it.”</p><p>“They <b>all</b> have money for that?”</p><p>“If you live in my house, you’re typically pretty well off.”</p><p>“Siaka and Milala makes sense… but what does Kris work as that she’s got the money for that?”</p><p>“Ask her and find out.”</p><p>“You know, I am starting to believe you don’t actually <b>know</b>, and that’s why you’re to secretive.”</p><p>“Misa, that kind of argument doesn’t work on me.” They turned right and then left, skipping beyond the dead end. “Chantelise is up ahead.”</p><p>“Please don’t leave me here, I’ll <b>never</b> find the way back on my own.”</p><p>Rila chuckled. “You’ll manage. I’m going to get fitted first, and will leave after.” Pulling the still folded newspaper out of her back pocket, she handed it to Misa. “You can read this while you wait.”</p><p><em>At least I get to focus on something not underwear… </em>“Thanks.”</p><p>Making it to the store’s door, Rila entered without hesitation. Misa hesitated and swallowed saliva that felt sticky like chewed herbs. <em>Here I go again.</em></p><p>=== Minais Sho ===</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Location Bonus 1 - Minais Sho</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A brief overview of Minais Sho, the city!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>__Minais Sho</b>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  
</p><p>One of the sixteen great cities. Ranking fifth in population, third in technological advancements, second in number of brothels and first in racial inclusion.</p><p>Founded by the legendary adventuring party <em>Type Zero</em>, it started as a rest stop of adventurers with little more than a handful of abodes, an Inn and an eatery. Built at the turbulently hilly plains of the great mountain Arieshiata, it was often the final stop on many an adventuring group’s journey to the Magic Realm that lies slightly to the north-east.</p><p>Over years and years, enterprising individuals sought profit off of the adventurers. Abodes became houses became mansions. Less than a century after its founding, the city had grown to become a bustling place of commerce and home to many more than just adventurers. With no other major cities within three days walk, many a traveling individual was enchanted by the ever growing sprawl of Minais Sho and gave up the life on the road and tried their hand at making a living.</p><p>However, it was not until the Minotaurs and the Dwarves took notice of the growing city that progress truly exploded and the city developed into the great and important hub of all things that it is today.</p><p>The hills were robbed of much and flattened, the mountain slope carved up to make way for house after house and part of the mountain top was outright taken by the Dwarves, carving a plateau into the top, ready to be built upon.</p><p>First arriving in Minais Sho from the south, as do most, one will see the covered mountain side that faces the continent, behind it the steepest of cliffs that draw right into the ocean. Entering, one will notice the three main roads – no walls surround Minais Sho as it was founded long after the great war had drawn to a close. These roads lead through the incredibly densely built and populated part of the city that many residents call the Labyrinth for its hard to navigate layout and insurmountable count of tiny alleys and spaces. In official documents this Labyrinth is part of the Freesight, named aptly so for how clear the view of it is from above.</p><p>At the northern reaches of the Freesight lie the markets, surrounded by newer buildings, standing tall at two or more floors, of fine wood and stone. Travelers should be wary of entering the markets, not for fear of damage to their person but to their pouches. Cheap and yet high quality are the keystones of the market, delivering fresh produce, vegetables, fish, meat and all sorts of trinkets and much more. Three such markets exist; to the west, prominently dealing in meat. In the center of the city, the largest market where the best deals are allegedly made. To the east, where the freshest of fish can be found.</p><p>Lining the eastern side of the city is the river Kwen, named after the legendary sword fighting Lamia of <em>Type Zero</em> fame. Sprawling at a hundred and forty meters wide in most spaces, it nourishes the plains and has become home to many hundreds and thousands of water loving races, prominently so the Mermaids, Mersharks, Bunyips, Unagi Joros and Nereids.</p><p>Stretching through all of the common realm it spring lays almost all the way at the southern reach of the continent, in the Demonic Realm, near the Southern Hells. Used for commerce and travel alike, Minais Sho is the final destination of many lest they wish to travel the oceans.</p><p>Just short of the River Kwen is the Riversight. Officially part of the Freesight, it differs little but in the construction of the houses. Higher, more than a meter off the ground, the buildings are made to withstand a flood should the river swell in a deluge. Many of those that do business with the water races live there.</p><p>As the slope of the mountain begins, so does the second largest part of the city; the Toil. Named such for the effort it demands of all that travel it, be it construction, the inhabitants or those doing business beyond its reaches. With a steep incline to it throughout, it exhausts and many business capitalize on the need to refresh. Home to many private buildings, businesses and the likes, it too has three main roads of about ten to fifteen meters width, winding from top to bottom.</p><p>One must toil, to work hard and almost incessantly so, to scale the mountain and so was the name of the district born. Many attempts to change it have failed.</p><p>At the very top of the climb lies The Plateau – here it is that rent is highest, view is best and prices are most exorbitant. After all, bringing goods to the top of the mountain requires many enlisted Harpies, Griffons and Black Harpies and all of those must be paid. Home to circles of buildings, created in such a way to fight off the winds of the height, the Plateau lies at roughly three hundred meters over the ocean.</p><p>With a still standing mountain top and fringes of elevated cliffs to both sides, the Plateau remains shielded from much of the storms that the ocean produces. At the very center of the Plateau lies the city’s administration building, a massive, six floor complex, ready to handle almost any inquiry a citizen might have.</p><p>The total population of Minais Sho has never been counted but the latest Hakutaku estimates put the combined citizenry at around a million individuals, sprawled out over 280,000 square meters of city, and still growing, both in headcount and space.</p><p>While no accurate count exists, Minais Sho is famous as the only city in all the realms that is home to all of the sentient races. Even elusive beings such as a Shirohebi or Dragons are allegedly found there.</p><p>The name of the city itself, Minais Sho, has never been attributed to anyone specific and the true origins might be lost to the wheels of time now. The earliest known records of the Hakutaki refer to the city as the <em>Northern Rest</em>, yet about twenty years after founding records show it as <em>Minais Sho</em>. In one of the old languages, Minais Sho means <em>New World.</em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I have zero drawing skills and commissioning a huge city map would cost hundreds of dollars, so please make do with my hexml scribble, thank you.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Making Strides</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Misa learns some more about the world around her!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sitting in a small back room, made for customers that were waiting, Misa unfolded the newspaper, held it tightly and then looked around. <em>This is… kinda a fancy room.</em> Comfortable, cushioned chairs were lining one wall, with an exceptionally long sofa spanning the entire length of the wall to her left. The wall by the right had fewer chairs, built sturdy and large and she was sure they were for folks like Minotaurs. One of the chairs was as big as Misa was and she didn’t even try to move them.</p><p>The ground was a very smooth carpet. Leaning down, not quite reaching, she let herself make a silly pose, reaching directly down between her legs, feeling it. <em>I have no idea what this is made of but whatever it is, it’s amazing. I bet even a Lamia can go over this no problem. Probably. I should ask what it’s like to slither some day. Must be way different from walking.</em></p><p>The walls had little to no decoration, there was really nothing to distract oneself with and it didn’t seem like the room got much use. <em>Everything’s expensive so… they probably have few customers.</em></p><p>Looking back at the newspaper, she realized that she had been itching to know what it was that had riled up Rila. The headline was something else already.</p><p>
  <em>Clash of the mortal gods.</em>
</p><p><em>Early on the seventy-sixth day of Greenbloom-</em> Misa paused. <em>Oh, that was just two days ago.</em> She kept going. <em>Greenbloom, the famed adventuring parties Broken Mirror and Invisible Cat came to a head in Northern Arkis over a regional dispute. Local negotiators were dispatched by the Unified Realms Adventuring Dispute Response Bureau. An unknown incident occurred shortly thereafter and levelled a small hill. Members of both adventuring parties were found incapacitated but without serious harm. Velvistia, which our readers will recognize as the legendary Witch of Thousand Spells, was engaged in serious combat with Elainorea, one of the three Kyuko in the realms. Both were found to be in violation of Adventuring Regulatory Issue one and taken into custody by the Adventuring Regulatory office, pending investigating and charges pressed. Sources tell the Tail Tale that it was only under direct threat of summoning a Dragon that the parties ceased hostilities.</em></p><p>Misa frowned, looked up and blinked a few times. <em>I have </em><em><b>no</b></em><em> idea who any of these people are! I didn’t know adventurers had so many… office bureau thingies.</em> Looking back at the article, she found a note. <em>Editorial regrets an inability to obtain first hand accords of the involved parties and will strive to report on the story as it develops.</em></p><p>Turning the page, she looked at the next article. <em>Rumors of Combaten delayed.</em> Her eyes skimmed over the article. <em>Due to reasons of conflict between the administrative offices of… in regards to the establishment of the security… alleged monetary bribes… </em>Her eyes got heavy. <em>This is a lot heavier than I remember from the Tail Tale… though I usually just looked at the comic at the end. But I live in the big city now, I should at least make an effort.</em></p><p>Flipping through, she finally found an article that interested her. <em>Stellar performance at the Shasperan Ronda. Last night, the first performance of the season by the breathtaking Lady Koyu Yomiya was held. The all original stage piece, Witch Fallen to Darkness, was performed to astounding reception by the opening crowd. This lucky reporter was able to secure a ticket through press channels. The opening act’s opera performance by Lady Koyu left the audience shivering from the deep melodics put on show, the stage lighting showering everyone in waves of isolation with great and singular focus on just the main star on stage. Without telling too much, it was a great tale of personal loss and suffering. Many within the audience shed tears. This was followed by an intermission act lead by the until then unknown actress Chimo-</em> She glanced ahead. <em>I don’t care about the intermission, tell me more about Lady Koyu!</em></p><p>She breathed in sharp when she saw a drawn portrait towards the end of the article. <em>Lady Koyu! Ahhhh, she’s so perfect! That melancholic, distanced look on her face, her body, her clothes, she just oozes legendariness! What I wouldn’t give to hear her in person one day! Now what’s this article say?</em></p><p>
  <em>At the end of the fourth act, as the tale draws to a close, an unprecedented event occurred. A mainstay of the Abyssal Stage, famously from Nilf itself, longtime rival to Lady Koyu, the great Lady Kanmi took the stage in a surprise reprisal of the plot. As both Banshee fought for supremacy of the stage, amidst a torn co-star, a fantastical twist engulfed the audience – we, the audience ourselves, were loaned a hand in the playwrights plot, to steer the story in one direction or another. Would Lady Koyu triumph or would Lady Kanmi usurp? And what of the new star born that day, Chimomo Dankoku? What would her fate be in all of it? This reporter can only recommend the newest production of the Shasperan with the greatest of pride. It might not be without merit that this could be the greatest performance born since the very inception of Banshee Theater and perhaps the Shasperan itself.</em>
</p><p>Misa slammed the newspaper on the ground. “Cala<b>damn</b> now I <b>really</b> wanna see that!”</p><p>“Is everything in order?” The Lamia, whose named escaped Misa then, looked into the room, most of her upper half and all of her lower half out of the room.</p><p>“Uh, I- er- yes! Sorry, I… got a little tilted from the newspaper.”</p><p>“If the newspaper is displeasing, would you like to take a look around the shop?”</p><p>“Just let her into the room!” Rila’s voice came from the room next over.</p><p>The Lamia smiled. “If you are so inclined. The client will be hidden behind a privacy screen, but you can talk to her and me if you have any questions.”</p><p>Misa hesitated. “Sorry, your… name was?”</p><p>“Katja. Given where you work, it must be hard to remember everyone’s names.”</p><p><em>Thank Calam I don’t have to remember </em><em><b>everyone</b></em><em> already. Miala, Siaka, Rila, Kris, Tria… I forgot the others already.</em> “I’ll join Rila.” <em>I’ll just get upset about </em><em>how I’m never gonna</em><em> be able to snatch tickets for the Shasperan. </em></p><p>Picking up the newspaper and then heading to the other room, she took a good look at it. That place was full of cabinets, drawers, two tables, chairs, a huge privacy screen that had to be three steps tall and still didn’t reach to the ceiling. <em>I never realized how high these rooms are.</em> Katja gestured for her to sit by the door on a chair that was similar to the one she had just left behind.</p><p>“Didn’t like the news? I could hear you curse all the way over-” There was a loud, crunching sound like someone moved heavy stone over other stone. “<b>Ow!</b>”</p><p>“I did tell you to not move, did I not?”</p><p>“Why are you even measuring me again? I don’t grow thicker or thinner!”</p><p>“Every piece is unique and so are the measurements for it. Your waist width increased by two stitches.”</p><p>“How?!”</p><p>Misa smiled wide. <em>Serves you right, you tease!</em></p><p>“I can hear you grinning Misa. You’ll regret that.” Rila’s voice promised that it was not an empty threat.</p><p>“Was not!” Covering her mouth with her hand, Misa thought to change the topic. “Was the article you got upset about the front page one?”</p><p>“I seriously cannot believe that idiot.”</p><p>“Who?”</p><p>“Elainorea! Who else! That absolute numbskull.”</p><p>Misa noticed Katja, who was waiting next to her, turn pale. Looking at her closer, she noticed the large apron was covering a beige shirt and short pants. <em>How do those work? Clasps on the sides again? But I don’t see any… </em>“You okay?”</p><p>“H-Huh? Y-Yes. I’m… fine.”</p><p>“Katja there is not used to someone calling a Kyuko a numbskull. I think out of everyone in the world, only a handful of people would refer to Elainorea that way.”</p><p>“Is she someone important?” <em>What in the sands is a Kyuko? </em>Awkward silence was followed by her question. <em>I’ll take that as a yes.</em></p><p>“She’s from <b>way</b> in the boonies.”</p><p>“Katja, explain it to her, will you? Rila, keep that tail of yours in place!”</p><p>“That’s easier said than- <b>Hiiii</b>!” Rila let out a really high – for her anyway – pitched yelp. “Don’t just put it between your legs!”</p><p>“A Kyuko is… you know what a Youko is I assume?” Katja was speaking in a mildly hushed voice.</p><p>“The fox folk.”</p><p>“Among them, some of them grow more tails as they get older and achieve a higher potential. Kyuko have nine tails. They’re really, <b>really</b> rare. There’s only three of them in all the realms.”</p><p><em>So she’s absolutely someone important.</em> “Someone like that can go head to head with someone the newspaper called a legendary Witch?”</p><p>“It’s more that it’s astounding a Witch is able to fight a Kyuko.” Rila remarked. “Elainorea is so powerful that she could turn all of Minais Sho into rubble in one spell.”</p><p>“Oh no, I’m not falling for that one!”</p><p>“She’s… she’s not joking.” Katja was visibly pale and in need of a comfort item now.</p><p>“Really.” Misa was losing some color herself.</p><p>Katja nodded. “Kyuko are probably the only ones that could take on a Dragon and win. None of them ever tried, but…”</p><p>“Okay. The great Kyuko. I’ll remember that. Definitely. All glory to the Kyuko.” And the reality of Rila calling someone like that a numbskull hit at full force now. “R-Rila, maybe you shouldn’t-”</p><p>The Gargoyle made a loud, contemptuous noise. “I’ve said worse to her.”</p><p>“You… two know each other?”</p><p>“That’s one way of putting-!” There was a sharp inhale and furious whispering and a suppressed yelp. “Give me back my clothes already.” There was almost an exclamation point there.</p><p>“So for the color, what do you want?”</p><p>“Make it like Misa’s skin.”</p><p>“Demonic Skin… perhaps Deep Cavern Abyss Spider Silk? Or maybe-”</p><p>“Finally free.” Rila, with parts of her face lit up to be almost white, came out from behind the privacy screen. “I love your work, Lise, but your measuring fetish is a truly terrible thing.”</p><p><em>Is… that how Gargoyle’s blush? That’s kind of… cute.</em> <em>She’s much more approach-</em> She stopped thinking when Rila stared right at her, as if to say if she ever breathed a word of this to anyone, there would be a terrible price to pay. <em>Okay, got it.</em> “</p><p>“A fetish?” Chantelise’s vocie came from behind the screen still. “That’s an interesting thought.”</p><p>“Hah…” Rila looked back at the screen. “What do you think?”</p><p>“Given your skin, her skin and the materials, I think it will be impossible to make it as transparent as you want.”</p><p>“No rare material you can come up with?”</p><p>“The problem is that for it to be sheer, I’d have to use some kind of thinly spun silk but the available materials for that are really intense in their coloration. Lessening that would ruin the material. So matching her skin I can do. Matching the transparency I can also do. But not both.” Chantelise stepped out from behind the screen and her petite figure looked especially appealing to Misa right then.</p><p><em>Next to Rila she looks so… fragile. I kinda wanna pick her up and protect her and make her yelp playfully.</em> “Does-”</p><p>“Misa be quiet.” Rila raised her right arm and gestured at the Demon to shut it. “How close can you get in the coloration to her skin for the transparency?”</p><p>“There is gonna be a pretty big difference.”</p><p>“I’ll give up on the transparency then.”</p><p><em>So easily?</em> Misa was surprised.</p><p>“So you want a negligee in Demon skin color. I can do Abyss Spider or I can color another material.”</p><p>“Go with the Abyss Spider silk.”</p><p>“For the entire negligee? That will be expensive.”</p><p>“Has that ever been a problem for me?”</p><p>“Considering your measurements… do you want to show cleavage?”</p><p>“Misa.”</p><p>“Huh?!” She had been following the conversation as a total onlooker and now she was suddenly called upon. “I- err- what?”</p><p>“Do you want me to show cleavage?”</p><p>“Uh-” She bridged her hands.</p><p>“You can speak your mind about everything else, out with it.”</p><p>“No. Have it be tight, climb to her chest but cover up to her shoulders.”</p><p>“Oh, that is racy.” Chantelise whistled. “For someone so new to this, you have exquisite ideas.”</p><p>“Thanks.” <em>I think? That is praise, right?</em></p><p>“You heard her.”</p><p>“Including service rendered, material procurement… forty-five, no, forty-four Madra.”</p><p>Misa choked on air and started coughing. Her eyes were spinning. <em>F-Forty… forty four…</em> “Uhm- Rila, isn’t that…?”</p><p>“That’s a bit more than I expected. The Ratatoskr fur one I liked so much was only seventeen.”</p><p>“Ratatoskr Fur doesn’t involve highly specialized adventurers harvesting dangerous materials.”</p><p>“That’s a fair point. So you have to cover hazard pay… forty-four sounds fair then.”</p><p>“Glad to be doing business again.”</p><p>“Are we finished then?”</p><p>“I’ll have Katja draw up designs and have them delivered to you.”</p><p>“As usual then.”</p><p>“Don’t flirt with my delivery girl next time.”</p><p>“You send me an insanely cute Werebat like that and what am I supposed to do?”</p><p>“Be a <b>little</b> professional.”</p><p>“<b>Fine</b>.” Rila clicked her tongue and it was like throwing a stone against a wall.</p><p>“Are you ready, miss Demon?” Chantelise looked at her and Misa felt like the ground beneath her was breaking apart. “There’s no need to be nervous. Unlike this very beautiful Gargoyle here, I am not interested in you.”</p><p>“Thanks?” <em>Wait… </em></p><p>“I’m going to go see an old friend. Go back to the house and check on Melodi in Two-Two. She should be home today.” Rila made her announcement and stretched, producing little cracking sounds.</p><p>“Oh, okay!”</p><p>“Going to see Nisha?”</p><p>“Good guess.”</p><p>“I read the newspaper.”</p><p>“Go figure.”</p><p>“You should cut Elainorea some slack.”</p><p>“Know something I don’t?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“I’ll think about it.” Rila sighed. “I’ll be waiting for those designs.” The Gargoyle left Misa with an enthused lingerie designer and Katja, a Lamia.</p><p>“Please get behind the screen and strip down.”</p><p>“Right away?!”</p><p>“There is no need to be embarrassed.” Chantelise’s lower body lost its shape and she started to float off the ground. Misa’s eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. “Oh, did you not know I am a Genie?”</p><p>“A <b>Genie</b>?!” Even Misa knew about those.</p><p>“Surprised?” Chantelise floated behind the screen.</p><p>“Uh, yes?!” Misa went around the other way, finding Chantelise back in solid form sitting on the sofa. “Just… why does someone like a Genie work-”</p><p>“Let me stop you there.” Chantelise sat up straight and sighed. “Yes, we Genies have great magical power and if I really wanted to, I could probably use my magic to create our products. But what fun is there in that? That’s not real work. I like to get personal with my clients, get to know them, know their bodies, learn their preference, draw up design work, procure materials, weave them, all of it. I do this work because it is work I want to do.”</p><p>Misa looked down so much she could see her own feet. “I’m sorry.”</p><p>“Don’t worry, I get that a lot. I just don’t want you to think that just because I <b>have</b> magic, I <b>must</b> use it.”</p><p>“Yeah. I… get that.”</p><p>“There is a funny little analogy there. A couple of centuries ago there was a very ambitious Succubus that rose to fame in the courts of Bazur. She was famous for shattering her court opponents with words and words alone. They are the perfect brothel worker, so why would one chose the stuffy life of an attorney, many people asked. But eventually, nobody asked it anymore. She proved to them all that passion can trump the cards that the world has dealt us.”</p><p>“Wow. I would love to tell that to Maina.”</p><p>“A friend?”</p><p>“My cousin. A succubus.”</p><p>“Is she a sex worker?”</p><p>“Owns her own brothel.”</p><p>“Impressive.”</p><p><em>Her boobs are certainly impressive… although Rila’s bigger. Her <b>ego</b> is probably even bigger than Rila’s though!</em> “So… you want me to strip?”</p><p>“Please put your clothes down here. And don’t worry about me watching.”</p><p>“Easy for you to say.”</p><p>“So how is it, to work at Lillium?”</p><p>“I haven’t really been there for long…”</p><p>“Rila can be a bit tough to handle but she’s a good person.”</p><p>“She’s definitely lots of things.” Misa took off the ankle boots, putting them down by the sofa. Next up was the black skirt of medium length. Letting it down slowly, she couldn’t help but glance towards Chantelise. “Uh… you did work for a lot of the girls at the house, right?”</p><p>“Rila warned me you might try and learn from me who the other inhabitants are. No can do.” Lise smiled wide.</p><p>“<b>Caladamn</b> that woman!”</p><p>“She’s throwing you for quite a loop, isn’t she?”</p><p>“You can say that again.”</p><p>“Do you hate her?”</p><p>Misa’s mouth flew wide open. “What?! No, no, no! She’s… she’s really… she can be really annoying! But it’s nothing like that!” She started to take off her top and paused as it was off to talk to Chantelise.</p><p>“Have you met Siaka?”</p><p>“<b>Met</b> is one way to put it.”</p><p>“Did she wear my newest creation for her?”</p><p>“Wear- oh, no! We didn’t- I mean-”</p><p>“Oh, is that so? I was sure you were implying you two slept together.”</p><p>“Not yet.”</p><p>“Nervous?”</p><p>“Lots.” She started to unhook her bra on the back and reluctantly let her breasts free. <em>This is… kinda embarrassing but she’s really not looking all that interested in me. Siaka was definitely ogling me. Probably.</em></p><p>“With my enchantments, you will have nothing to worry about.”</p><p>“At that price, they better!”</p><p>“High quality, high prices.”</p><p>“How did you get the idea to start this?”</p><p>“That’s a funny story actually.”</p><p>Misa turned away from Chantelise and started to take off her panties. “Does it involve Rila?”</p><p>“The world doesn’t revolve around her, even if it sometimes seems so.”</p><p>“Thankfully. Can you imagine?”</p><p>“I can. We’d all be doomed.”</p><p>“Right?” Misa chuckled, very slowly turned around and blushed just the smallest bit, putting down her panties on the stack. “This sure is…”</p><p>“You get used to it.” Chantelise gestured with her right hand for Misa to turn around once, then a second time. “Good canvas.”</p><p>“Canvas?”</p><p>“The large white paper like surface that paintings are… you know that. I see, you are wondering about my view then?”</p><p>“I like you a lot more than Rila already.”</p><p>Chantelise chuckled. “She might be teasing you a lot, but… well, you have not heard it from me, but I think that it is not all just amusement. She might be testing your ability of patience and dealing with someone who can be… annoying. After all, not everyone at Lillium is going to be in good moods always.”</p><p>“So how <b>did</b> you start this business?”</p><p>“One of my past wives was very, <b>very</b> interested in lingerie but there was equally little to find for her.” Chantelise got up, her feet losing structure and becoming a wavering mist. Running her right hand over Misa’s thigh, inspecting up close, it was everything but sensual.</p><p><em>This has to be how a table feels. If they could feel.</em> “Uhm…”</p><p>“I’m a bit of an oddity of a Genie. Most of us make magical objects for adventurers and quite a few live down in Shak’Malda, in the south-east. At the same time, we Genies tend to, for the reason of object creation, take Cyclops wives. I don’t really do either.” Her hand moved over Misa’s hips now, the Genie moved behind her and grabbed both hips with surprising strength. So much so that Misa flinched, like someone had slapped her.</p><p><em>Ow! That was… wow. It’s… it’s like she’s not even registering me as attractive or even a woman. I expected this to be slightly erotic but this is even less erotic than just looking at Ri- </em>“Hiyaaah!” She squealed when the Genie very roughly grabbed her butt and squeezed. “Hey!”</p><p>“The wife in question was a Nekomata. That sure takes me back.”</p><p>“How long ago was this?”</p><p>“About four hundred greater cycles?”</p><p>“Four-!”</p><p>“We Genies don’t die easy.”</p><p>“You must be even older than Rila.”</p><p>“Hah!” Chantelise let out a singular loud laugh. “So I started looking into making lingerie for my wife myself.” Moving up, her hands went onto Misa’s waist and she touched her sides, then her back, then hugged her and squeezed tight.</p><p>Coughing twice, Misa felt her breath escape her. “That’s… admirable…” She coughed a few more times.</p><p>“So before I knew it I was working with merchants, a couple adventurers. I <b>did</b> make enchanted objects for a short while so I did have considerable money.”</p><p>“You’re rich?”</p><p>“Not compared to the really rich, but compared to you, probably.” Chantelise reached up from behind Misa and cupped her breasts from below. “Hm, a bit on the small side compared to what I worked with recently.” Lifting Misa’s breasts just enough to make the full weight concentrate on Chantelise’s hands, she let them down slowly a moment later. Moving around, left hand fingers squeezing her chin, she faced Misa. “Don’t twitch.” Grabbing her breasts from the front, Chantelise squeezed a bit, moved the right boob up, then the left down. She then floated up, formed flat palms and slowly slid them up Misa’s chest. “But very youthful and untouched. I can see where the embarrassment comes from.”</p><p>“I didn’t expect I’d end up in this line of work.” <em>Huh. I expected that to bother me more but it’s just… this is my job now, it’s a respectable job and honestly I’m a bit ashamed that I thought working in a brothel would be easy. Just thinking about how many different folks could become customers… those women have to know a lot. And now that I think about it… you probably have to know how to dress, how to apply make-up, how to move, how to talk, probably make conversation with some customers… I feel worse and worse the more I think about-</em> “<b>Ow</b>!” Chantelise had pinched her wing’s base.</p><p>The Genie continued to feel up and down the wings for a few more moments before grabbing Misa’s shoulders from above, floating in mid-air. Descending down to the ground, she seemed finished. “Katja, can you get me the measuring tape?”</p><p>“Of course.” Moving just next to the privacy screen, Katja’s tail alone moved behind the screen, balancing a rolled up white tape of some kind with red numbers. Taking the band in hand, she looked at Misa then. “I could conjure up a dozen of these with no effort. But you know how… hm… is there some kind of housework you enjoy?”</p><p>“Cleaning, I guess? It feels good when everything is neat and clean and tidy.”</p><p>“Imagine if you could turn a dirty room into a clean room just by snapping your fingers. That’s not very satisfying, right?”</p><p>“I get it. You enjoy doing things the way the rest of us do.”</p><p>“Makes me a very weird Genie, but I own my eccentricness.”</p><p>“This is just me as a customer thinking out loud, but I really… appreciate that.”</p><p>“Hah. Thank you.” Chantelise unrolled the band. “Now stretch out your arms by rule of horizon, legs together straight, then don’t move. No talking either. Breathe shallow. Don’t hold your breathe, that will distort the measurements.”</p><p>“Lise, I’ll be up front and wait for the delivery.”</p><p>“Thank you my love.”</p><p><em>My love? Oh! </em>Misa’s mouth opened and she inhaled without thinking. Chantelise promptly slapped her thigh and got her to stop thinking.</p><p>Genie and Demon, engaged in a fierce battle of silence to silence, unmoving a single muscle in perfect stillness to the most perfect measuring to be done in the physical world. Less of a battle, really, and more a nerve wrecking contest against the very nature of that which lived.</p><p>“Well done, I’m finished.” Manifesting her feet, Chantelise walked to the small desk that was next to the sofa, sat down and jotted down digits on paper. “Has Rila said anything about whether she wants you to take Nyko or Nihn?”</p><p><em>That was the… the thing. Right.</em> “What’s that do again?”</p><p>“Increases your bust size. Or decreases it. As the customer wants.”</p><p><em>Oh, right. Now I remember.</em> “Not her. I think Siaka wants me to though. Not sure.”</p><p>“That’s a relief.”</p><p>“How come?”</p><p>“If she had told you she wants you to take adjustment potions, I would have had to either work with elastic material, which is difficult, or make something that fits your adjusted proportions, in which case I would have to measure you again after ingesting the relevant amount and type.”</p><p>“Makes sense. Is that common?”</p><p>“It depends. I can’t divulge customer details, but Nyko is very slightly more common than Nihn.”</p><p>“Oh I meant in general, brothels and such.” <em>I’m curious if this is a really niche thing that only Siaka is gonna come up with.</em></p><p>“Very. You can only take so much of it a day of course before the energy loss knocks you flat on your butt, but most courtesans welcome the extra energy expenditure.”</p><p>
  <em>So the others will probably want me to take some too? I wonder if Milala is fine with me like this or…</em>
</p><p>“Don’t worry so much about it.”</p><p>“I’m not- did it show on my face again?”</p><p>“Honesty is a virtue.” Chantelise finished noting down her digits and turned on the chair. “It’s just a preference. Most decide on their favorite courtesan based on their personality, their expertise, what folk they are and such. Voice plays a huge role for me. You noticed how soft spoken Katja is?”</p><p>Misa nodded. “Uh… can I get dressed again?”</p><p>“If you don’t want to try on some of the lingerie we have out on the floor.”</p><p><em>Clothes here I come!</em> Grabbing her underwear first, Misa was quick to put everything back on.</p><p>“You shouldn’t feel like there is anything wrong with you just because someone asks you to drink Nyko or Nihn. I’m not exactly well endowed, yes?”</p><p>“I do think you look-”</p><p>“No, no. See, that right there, without understanding you replied in a way like it is <b>better</b> to be more endowed than not. Yes, there are limits to the effectiveness of the potions, but there’s no better or worse. Simply find what makes your guest, partner, customer the happiest.”</p><p>“Do you have experience with brothels?”</p><p>“I’m over four hundred great cycles old. What do you think?”</p><p>“Stupid question.”</p><p>“Absolutely.”</p><p>“<b>Now</b> I see why Rila likes you.”</p><p>“I see why she likes to tease you.”</p><p><em>Grrr… what is it with everyone!</em> Putting on her bra, she picked up her black top. “Just lots to learn in this line of work.”</p><p>“Think of it this way; through a little sleight of hand, you can match everyone’s preference perfectly. Whether someone likes your boobs twice as big as Rila’s or smaller than even a young Harpy. It’s still you. Your face, your voice, your technique, your words, your thoughts, your body.”</p><p>“How many courtesans have you told this to?”</p><p>“Over the many, many changes of season? Hundreds.”</p><p>“And I thought I was special.” With the shirt worn, she picked up her skirt.</p><p>“Everyone is special in their own way. But what you meant is <b>more</b> special than everyone else. And no, that is reserved for very, very few of us.”</p><p>“Do you also know that… uh… person that Rila was mad at?”</p><p>“Elainorea? Not directly.”</p><p>“I was wondering what someone that can fight a Dragon is like…”</p><p>“She is famous for being a flirt that spends all her downtime in brothels.”</p><p>“That doesn’t sound like a bad person.”</p><p>“She’s <b>also</b> famous for being a battle maniac.”</p><p>“I take that back.” Sitting down on the Sofa, she picked up her boots.</p><p>“She’s rather notorious, but this is the first time I recall her being arrested.”</p><p>“About the design for my lingerie.”</p><p>“Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten. I pretty much heard from Rila earlier. A six-tailed Nekomata’s embrace for the bottom with a specific- oh, look at that, I did forget something. Hold still.”</p><p>“Eeeeh? Do I need to undress again?”</p><p>“No need. Stretch out your tail.”</p><p>“My <b>tail</b>? I never measured how long it is…”</p><p>“The length is not what matters. Can you change the shape of the tip?”</p><p>“I don’t think any Demon can do that…”</p><p>“The tip is complex muscle, so most can’t, but you can learn it.”</p><p>“<b>Seriously?!</b>” <em>I never heard of that! How does this woman know more about my own folk than I do?! Argggh!</em></p><p>“Don’t worry about it now then.” Picking the measuring band back up, Chantelise approached Misa who kept her tail stretched out to the back, horizontally.</p><p><em>Feels weird to do this… </em>“Did you measure Siaka’s tail too?”</p><p>“Of course. Now…” Measuring width, length, thickness, angles, Chantelise put the band down and grabbed the tail with enthusiasm. “There is a bite mark here.”</p><p>Misa blushed furiously. “Siaka did that! Without me knowing!”</p><p>Squeezing, pulling, stretching the tip of Misa’s tail, Chantelise did so with such sterile interest that Misa couldn’t feel any pleasure from it at all. “Okay, I have a good idea of it now. Stay still though, I need to take one more measure.”</p><p>“Is this really necessary?”</p><p>“By Rila’s specification, it should be a tight fit with a tailored hole for only your tail. I take my work very seriously.”</p><p>“I see that, but-”</p><p>“No buts. Please be quiet.”</p><p>Misa frowned quietly and stayed still. Chantelise produced from a cabinet a small black bag, maybe the size of a glove worn during Icefall season. Putting the bag over Misa’s tail, she shifted it around, dug with one finger into the bag and then Misa could feel the finger on her tail tip. Moments after there was a lot of pressure on her tail and she winced. “Ow!”</p><p>“I know this is unpleasant but I need to have a perfect understanding of your tail tip’s muscular structure.”</p><p>“Professionals can be pretty-”</p><p>“I said quiet.”</p><p>
  <em>Professionals can be super rude! And obsessive!</em>
</p><p>Forcing the tail tip’s very end point through the bag, Chantelise applied a bit more pressure until the bag wouldn’t move any further. Then she removed it. “Okay, zero point seven eight perforation… that makes…” She was seemingly doing math in her head.</p><p>“Will this be hard to put on?”</p><p>Chantelise raised her hand to signal Misa to not talk to her. Returning to the desk she noted down a final few digits. “It will sit very tightly directly on your skin. You should avoid having your weight fluctuate much, it’ll make everything I make for you not fit anymore.”</p><p>“Don’t think I have to worry about gaining weight.” <em>Although there’s tons of delicious food out there… Maybe a little worry.</em></p><p>“Rila gave me a general idea of what materials to use. Come with me to the workshop so I can show you a few furs to choose from.”</p><p>“Do you have any Kerberi fur?”</p><p>Chantelise stopped. “We do. That is a <b>very</b> unusual choice though.”</p><p>“Rila wanted me to pick the inside material. I want that.”</p><p>“Are you sure? That will get very hot.”</p><p>“Rila’s a Gargoyle and I’ve found her sunbathing a few times now.”</p><p>Chantelise smiled wide. “That’s a remarkable observation. So you want to raise your own temperature for her?”</p><p>Misa nodded. “It’s also very soft so I don’t think it’ll chafe even if Rila gets rough.”</p><p>“If Rila gets rough there- I get what you mean.”</p><p>“I don’t really know about the outside furs. And my head will explode if you try to explain dozens of furs and their qualities to me.”</p><p>“Do you want me to make a recommendation?”</p><p>“Please.”</p><p>“Bunyip fur. It is incredibly soft and traps large amounts of heat. I normally wouldn’t recommend that because it is also very voluminous, but with Rila, it should please her.”</p><p>“That sounds great.” <em>And saves me listening to two hours of fur explanations.</em> “Is that expensive?”</p><p>“Not very. The Kerberi fur on the other hand will be rather pricey.”</p><p><em>I’m lucky Rila picks up the tab for this one.</em> “Can you limit the Kerberi fur to the front?”</p><p>“I can do that but it will be rather tight on your back then.”</p><p>“That’s fine. I don’t sweat so easily.”</p><p>“I’m using a Saabak Toad leather base for this so sweat won’t be an issue.”</p><p>“T-Toad?”</p><p>“Do you doubt my expertise?”</p><p>Misa took a deep breath. “No. I really don’t.”</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>“I will fit the supporting straps on your neck with fur though.”</p><p>“That’s a good idea.”</p><p>“I will draw up a few designs and send them to you.”</p><p>“What if I’m not home?”</p><p>“I pay for secure delivery, they will wait.”</p><p>“Ohh!”</p><p>“Do you know the way out?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“Pleasure doing business with you, Misa.”</p><p>“Thanks.” <em>This is just a little embarrassing… having a four hundred greater cycles old professional say that to me is like… the world’s best chef serving me a meal and thanking me for enjoying it.</em></p><p>Waving to Katja, who was engaging a fox folk with pure white hair and tail, Misa left behind the so intriguing shop. Back out on the street, she took a breath so deep, she nearly choked on it. “By Calam I was so nervous…”</p><p>Looking down the street, then the other way, she was kind of lost. <em>I’ve come here from both directions and </em><em><b>still</b></em><em> I’m not sure how to get back.</em></p><p>“Excuse me.” A passerby talked to her; A lady with somewhat large black bear like hands, white hair and black round ears on top, dressed in an elegant dress from the far east. “Do you happen to know where I can find the Glutton’s Bucket?” She had a really pleasant, slow way of talking.</p><p>“Ah, sorry. I’m kinda lost myself.”</p><p>“Where are you then trying to go?”</p><p>“Just north to the markets.”</p><p>“Simply go down that direction, turn right once and never turn right again unless you turn left. The markets are north of here.”</p><p>“Thank you. I feel bad not being able to help.”</p><p>“If you are ever looking for a pleasant time-” She smiled seductively. “Visit the Glutton’s Bucket. Perhaps you can find me there.”</p><p>“What’s your name?”</p><p>“Yin Sha Zu. My friends call me Yinzu.”</p><p>“I can’t promise anything.”</p><p>“That’s fine. Then…” She looked to both sides and went the way Misa had come. “Bye, Bye.”</p><p><em>What a nice woman. She’s a Renmao. I remember one of them from back home. She worked at that massage- oh.</em> Misa covered her face in shame. <em>Of course she was there. How </em><em><b>dare</b></em><em> Maina never tell me!</em></p><p>Setting out on a journey, Misa felt proud of herself. <em>I can’t believe I’ll soon be the owner of luxury lingerie… Take that, boonies Misa! I’m </em><em>Sa</em><em>v</em><em>vy </em><em>City Misa now!</em> She had barely thought so when some kind of bird poop very narrowly missed her. <em>I take it back, I take it back!</em></p><p>Managing to escape the Labyrinth unsullied and within due time, Misa breathed a sigh of relief. <em>So far so good. And no bird poop! Seriously, what was </em><em><b>that</b></em><em> about?! Is someone peeking at my thoughts? There’s… no such thing I hope. There better not be!</em></p><p>Looking north, Misa made an expression of pure annoyance and disgust. <em>Of course.</em></p><p>The market had swollen so much, even the outer reaches to the east and west seemed consumed. <em>I know it’s Lakera and tomorrow is Tidecall but </em><em><b>come on</b></em><em>, this is ridiculous! Where do all these people come from?! There’s gotta be thousands and thousands of people there!</em> Starting to walk to the east, Misa picked up the pace. <em>Gotta get home before it gets any fuller. Worst case scenario I can go through the Riversight and past the market but that’s a big detour… better than going through that pile up of bodies.</em></p><p>Passing by a small restaurant, she heard singing that was just barely audible over the noises of the market. Looking left, right, she couldn’t see the source. Then she looked up. Perched on a balcony was a very cute looking green winged Harpy that was singing. <em>So cute.</em> She couldn’t see under the Harpy’s long skirt however. The Harpy noticed her and stopped singing. Spreading her wings, she smiled right at Misa. “Thank you for listening!”</p><p><em>So cute… </em>Waving at the Harpy with a smile, Misa kept walking. <em>I wonder if it’s true that there’s groups of Harpies that sing together so well that you think they play instruments. Kinda hard to believe though… how can anyone sing to sound like drums or a guitar? Kilera and Ariza probably lied to me thinking they’re </em><em><b>soooo</b></em><em> cool living in a slightly bigger village than me. “</em><b>Hrmpf</b>!”</p><p>Finding a narrow space of livable distance to the market crowd that was just a mass of people coming and going, sustaining the monstrous collective, Misa sneaked past. <em>Lakera is always the worst. Even back home everyone went shopping like there was no Tilra past Tidecall. And then they all rush back to shopping right on Tilra. </em>Misa grumbled out loud. “There has to be a better way than this…”</p><p>Managing to avoid the Riversight, Misa achieved her goal and stepped foot on the Toil. <em>I’m glad the house is only a couple minutes up here. If I had to walk all the way to the top I think my legs would kill me after a few days of running errands. Rila must have it easy, she probably doesn’t get tired ever. That’s </em><em><b>so</b></em><em> unfair… </em></p><p>The house in sight, Misa sped up. <em>Just a liiiittle break and I’ll go down to the second floor. I need to change, too. If I’m getting wet… I’ll skip shoes. Don’t wanna ruin them.</em> Stepping onto the property, she felt glad but couldn’t place why. <em>Short Janes, barefoot… it’s like I’m dressing for the middle of Sunprime. This is </em><em><b>way</b></em><em> further north than home, I wonder if it even gets hot here. Mom did say that Icefall up here can be pretty brutal. Not as bad as Ala… Alu… the island up north. But bad. Like, icicles on houses! I’ve never even seen an icicle before. Wonder what they taste like. </em>Opening the door, Misa was home and she <b>felt</b> home. <em>Strange. I barely even live here for a day or so but it feels like I belong.</em> She fist pumped. <em>You got this Misa! Lingerie, advice, an annoying but rich boss, a tall dom, a workaholic disaster… I already got over the biggest hurdles for sure.</em></p><p>Going upstairs and into her room, she found yet another gift. <em>What… is this?</em> Lifting up a round something, it was squishy soft, yet clearly made of some kind of cotton like material. <em>A pillow? But why is it round? And… who puts a hole in the middle of a pillow?</em> Leaving it on her bed, she closed up the window and took off her top, leaving it on her bed. <em>Don’t need to advertise to any fly-by Harpies that I’m changing.</em></p><p>Opening up her wardrobe, she rummaged through the chaos and found the hotpants like janes she wanted to wear. <em>What do I do about my top though? I don’t have anything that deals super well with getting wet… </em><em>maybe just the black one after all?</em></p><p>Switching out only her skirt for the janes, she took off her boots and inhaled quick and sharp. <em>Okay. Second floor. How surprising can a floor with some water possibly be?</em></p><p>Heading back to the third floor, the stairs down opposite to the stairs up were shaped much in the same way. Accessible for large footed folks like Siaka or snake folks like Tria. <em>If I remember right… didn’t Tria live down there? Maybe I can get her to give me the tour.</em></p><p>Going down step by step, Misa started to sweat from a waft of hot and humid air blowing against her. And then her feet hit water on the last two steps – it was about halfway to her knees, which made walking pretty stressful, but possible without having to make crazy efforts for a normal stride.</p><p><em>Hot! Why is it so hot down here?! I expected it to be… cold! Like underwater cold! And it’s so humid! </em>She paused and fanned herself some air. <em>I kinda should have expected that one though.</em> Looking down, she felt the water ebb against her legs, like there was flow but not directly in the direction she came from. <em>First things first.</em></p><p>The stairs came out to a hallway that was twice as wide as the one one floor up, but much shorter and of course had no door to the south, her right. Both left and right, ahead of her, were large doors that were very different from what she was used to.</p><p>Wider and made of a strange kind of greenish wood. <em><b>Is </b>it the wood? Or is that like… algae? Or something like that.</em> Taking a few steps forward, she really felt like cleaning down there would be a backbreaking effort with all the water. <em>Is there maybe a way to drain… probably not.</em></p><p>Looking at the door, the one to the left, from up close, she was certain now. <em>Green wood. Not algae. But there’s no handle…? </em>Looking up and down, she found a small indentation in the wood, a half circle, big enough to put her entire hand in almost. <em>What’s this for? Like… to look through? No, it’s way too low. Is this to pull the door? Or push?</em></p><p>Turning about, she saw an identical door behind her, with the same indentation. <em>So it’s definitely for moving. I didn’t know there were four rooms down here. Wait… four on the third, four on the fourth, like… two or three on the sixth, that makes ten to eleven. If there’s four down here and rooms on the first floor, that’d make more than fifteen.</em></p><p>Taking a few steps back, she looked at the hallway that was next to the stairs but separated out with a thin wall. <em>A dead end?</em> <em>But…</em> Stepping into the hallway, she found a small, wall mounted cabinet made from the same greenish wood as the doors. Two drawers and nothing on top. Opening the front one, she found bundled up, dried herbs of some kind. <em>That must be the Mizuuki herbs.</em> The second drawer contained two bowls that had tiny, very slightly blue tinted round objects inside of them. <em>Pearls?</em> Touching one, it was kind of spongy. <em>Feels almost like fish bait…</em></p><p>Stepping past the cabinet, she came to what was the edge of the abyss. The water suddenly got deep, there were no stairs down and the hallway got much bigger. The end room was about twice as wide as the hallway leading to it and just as long. Like a very tiny pond that was surprisingly deep. <em>So that’s for going down… I guess I’ll have to pick clothes that can handle going underwater. More shopping. It’s starting to feel like most of my money is gonna go to my wardrobe and other stuff I need to cut it in this job. </em><em>Isn’t that kind of like a scam… somehow. Maybe.</em></p><p>Returning to the hallway, she tried to magically enlighten herself which room would belong to Tria and which to Melodi. <em>I kinda wanna see Tria first. Rila might be the boss of me buuuuut… she’s not here!</em></p><p>Before she could make up her mind, the door to the left, as seen from the stairs, opened up; to the side and towards the end of the hallway! Misa was in pure shock at the marvel of a door that could slide sideways.</p><p>The tenant coming through that door was in no less visible shock than Misa was at her being there. There was a loud splash and the door was slammed shut again.</p><p><em>Tria!</em> Misa recovered from her culture shock after the door was moved back and realized now where Tria lived. “It’s just me! Misa!” She paused. <em>Better clarify… I don’t know if I made a lasting impression.</em> “The Demon that Rila hired!”</p><p>No answer. Misa waited and got kind of embarrassed. <em>What do I do now? She just kind of saw me and fled… I haven’t had anyone react that way to me before. It’s not like Demons are scary either, so… I mean I could understand running away from like… a Dragon or a Hellhound or a really pissed off Golem… but-</em></p><p>“S-Sorry.” The door opened up just a bit. “I… just started doing maintenance…”</p><p>Misa moved closer to the door. The gap was barely enough to see Tria’s green hair. “Hi. Uh… maintenance? Is this a bad time to be here?” <em>I have no idea what… is she doing work on the pipes or something?</em></p><p>“It’s… fine. I have my mask.” She opened up the door more and was now wearing a strangely shaped mask that seemed to attach to her ears and covered her entire face from the mouth up, even her nose. “Did you… need something?”</p><p>“It’s my first time coming down here and… I’m sorry, what’s the mask for?”</p><p>“You don’t know?” There was genuine surprise in Tria’s voice and she slumped a little in her posture. She was short to begin with so now Misa could look right over her head. “All… All of my kind need glasses or… a mask. Our bodies will give off… venom mist, if we see others… without it.” She was still having difficulty talking without pausing in the middle of a sentence. And she was not coming out of her room either. “I… uhm… I have to go… to the bathroom.”</p><p>“Oh, that’s okay, I’ll wait.” Misa put on her best smile.</p><p>“Uhm… you’re in the way.”</p><p>“I won’t be able to hear-” Misa finally put one and one together. “I’m <b>standing</b> in the way, I get it.” Stepping aside, Misa let Tria slither past, slide open the door across from the room, and vanish inside quickly. It was just a moment, but Misa could see inside.</p><p>The water was kept away by stairs inside that were right by the entrance, keeping most of the room above water level. Looking inside Tria’s room, it was not quite the same.</p><p>Much of the inside was placed on wooden frames. She only looked briefly because she didn’t want to be spying. <em>I’m surprised the bathroom is disconnected from the room though… wonder why? Because of the pipes? That must be so inconvenient, having to leave… wait a second, the other bathrooms are also separate, what am I thinking? So…</em> She looked down the hallway. <em>There’s two bathrooms here? That’s awfully convenient considering we got four of us sharing one per floor up. And here’s two people and two bathrooms? Maybe it’s because only specific folks will live down here.</em></p><p>Moving down the hallway so she wouldn’t be immediately in sight when Tria came out of the bathroom, Misa waited. And waited. <em>I always wondered where exactly on them is their butt… or well, the other butt? The part where the stuff comes out.</em> She groaned. <em>This isn’t what I thought I’d be thinking about when I met Tria again… is most of their bottom half just muscle? Do they have any special snake folk organs in there? I wonder if they have trouble washing up with such a long body… I wonder what it feels like against skin. Kind of… like… during sex… if it chafes, that’d be kind of not great… maybe with enough lubrication it could-</em> She groaned again. <em>I’ll just ask. No point in getting myself all bent out of shape over something like this.</em></p><p>The bathroom door opened and Tria came out, looking a big squeamish. Turning left, then right, she looked right at Misa. Upon being seen, Misa approached the Basilisk again. “Everything okay?”</p><p>“Y-Yes. Uhm… do you want to… come in?” Tria kept looking at her room.</p><p>“Are you okay with that?”</p><p>“I don’t mind.” It was the first thing she said decidedly and without any pauses since Misa saw her that day.</p><p>Entering the room proper, Misa was surprised at how different it was. The water ran across the windowless room, with an island in the center, a solid platform elevated from the stone floor. She couldn’t tell if it was stone or wood that had been painted to be like stone. On top of the platform was a large bowl like arrangement with curved edges, like a fancy flower pot or chandelier. The inside was something she couldn’t quite parse. A pillow, blown up to enormous proportions, easily big enough to host the entirety of someone even bigger than Siaka. Parts of the pillow were dented in. <em>Oh, that’s her bed.</em></p><p>To the left of the door was a kitchen that looked far more used than any other she’d seen in the house. An extra shelf with pots, pans and other utensils was by the kitchen. The stove and a storage box both stood on wooden framing, the water running through beneath both. The wall to the left was lined with two large wardrobes that Misa was sure couldn’t contain anything too useful; Tria was wearing another terribly baggy dress of pale pink that might as well have been a sack. Between the bed and the wardrobes was an elongated wooden table that had elevated edges and was really, really dirty.</p><p><em>This room… is way big. </em><em>It’s like… one and a half times the size of my own.</em> Looking past the wardrobes, there were shelves with books. Only the top three layers were filled, while the bottom parts remained empty. <em>Probably because of water sprinkles and such.</em> The left side of the far wall from the entrance had yet more book shelves and a large mirror that was not of typical glass but had a darkened, black tint to it. <em>I wonder what’s that about? </em>To the right of the mirror were yet again, of course, book shelves.</p><p><em>So Tria loves to read. That’s kinda cute actually.</em> <em>I wonder what sort of books they are. I doubt I’ll have the time to read one but being able to talk about a story with her would be really nice.</em> In the corner connecting the book shelf lined far wall and the wall to her right stood a large glass cylinder that had three layers to it, with a small hatch in the center layer. It reached down into the water and the top of it was open and dispersing very fine white smoke that dissipated into the air immediately. Something was in the center layer, on a glass platform, but she couldn’t make out what.</p><p>The right wall was two more storage boxes, a heavily fortified third box that looked like a safe of some kind, a bunch of cardboard boxes stacked on top of each other on wooden framing and finally, in the corner, a very complex apparatus on a wooden coffee table, that had white smoke wafting about inside of it, with some kind of tiny hose emerging from the top. <em>What is </em><em><b>that</b></em><em> about? Medicine?</em></p><p>It was a room that was certainly centered around the bed. There was nowhere to sit other than the bed either and Misa figured that it was normal for snake folk to arrange their furniture like that. Chairs and meter long lower bodies didn’t exactly go along very well.</p><p>Misa had only been inside for about a minute, taking in the layout, when she realized that it was even hotter there than it was out in the hallway. “Is it normal it’s so hot down here?”</p><p>“Yes. We… my kind and all ones like me… need heat from…” Tria was shifting about, unable to stay still. “I’m sorry, I’m… so nervous. I haven’t had to rely on my mask for… for a long time.”</p><p>“Are your glasses broken?”</p><p>“No. Maintenance.” Tria pointed at the large glass cylinder in the far corner. “Need to purify… once a cycle.”</p><p>“I have the greatest worst timing.” Misa smiled in a <em>I don’t believe this</em> way and rolled her eyes a little. “Can you see anything with that mask?”</p><p>“N-No. But I can… kind of tell where you are from your voice. And I know… my room.”</p><p>“It’s a nice room. Why down here though? Do all Basilisks live by and in water?”</p><p>“N-No. The room was free and… I like humid, damp, spaces. Underground. It’s nice and hot. I don’t… need to go outside.”</p><p><em>So she’s the indoors type.</em> “You did come outside when we met in the yard.”</p><p>“S-Sometimes I do go outside!” It was not possible for it to show on her face, but from how she said it, Misa could have sworn that Tria was blushing.</p><p>“Is the person in the other room Melodi?”</p><p>Tria nodded. “She always comes over. She loves books.”</p><p>“That makes two of you.”</p><p>“Yes. It’s so nice. I… like her.”</p><p>“After Milala and Siaka, it’s great to hear that some of the people in the house get along well.”</p><p>“I stay out of everyone’s way… a lot.” Tria moved onto her bed and turned into an overlapping circle, using her feathered tail tip as a pillow. This only lasted for a moment before she moved up, almost as if she was sitting on her folded legs. “S-Sorry, force of habit…”</p><p>“Don’t break habit for me. It’s great for me to see how you normally are.”</p><p>“Really? But… it feels weird talking to someone… while lying down.”</p><p>“How about this?” Forcing her way through the water, Misa stood just by the edge of the bed. With the platform and the bed’s height itself, she was almost on face level with where Tria’s head would be if she laid down.</p><p>“You are nice.” Tria laid back down, looking towards the door, even through she couldn’t see. Misa was just a bit to her left. This time she didn’t use her tail as a cushion and instead crossed her arms in front of her while raising her back just a little.</p><p>“Nice?” Misa chuckled. “Being told that is kinda flattering.” Misa looked over her shoulder when she felt something tap her back.</p><p>“J-Just checking where… you are exactly.”</p><p>“I’m surprised you were even home. Do you not work on Lakera?”</p><p>“I’m a researcher…”</p><p>“What kind?”</p><p>“It’s a bit complicated…”</p><p>“Try me.”</p><p>Tria breathed in twice, as if she was practicing the words in her head. “The treatment of altered cells to return them to healthy cells through applications of venomous substance in controlled fashion in living organisms.”</p><p><em>Yuuuuuuup. </em>“That sounds… really hard.”</p><p>“I’m… trying to figure out a way to mix… Basilisk poison with Apophis poison and Troll blood components… and it is… not going so well.”</p><p>“Can’t say I really understand what you’re doing. Do you work from home?”</p><p>“Some… sometimes. The institute is… on break right now, so…”</p><p>“Do you work alone on this?”</p><p>“N-No. I have two research partners.”</p><p>“Are they also Basilisks?”</p><p>She shook her head. “One is… an Automaton. Locksha. The other is an Apophis. Midtnacht.”</p><p>The conversation just kind of randomly died and Misa felt put on the spot. <em>She’s not really much for conversation I guess.</em> “You read a lot. Any good stories?”</p><p>“Stories?”</p><p>“Yeah. Like, fantasy, romance. You got so many books here, I figure you know all sorts of authors.”</p><p>“O-Oh. Those are… mostly research.”</p><p>“Eh?”</p><p>“That shelf-” She tapped Misa’s shoulder with her tail and then pointed towards the shelf that was closest to the big glass cylinder. “Is all… research.”</p><p>“So you don’t like reading?”</p><p>“I… do.”</p><p>“What kind of genre?”</p><p>“Science-fiction.”</p><p>“Science… what?”</p><p>“Super… technology.”</p><p>“What’s that like?”</p><p>“Big… carriages that move without anyone pulling. Or fly… through the skies.”</p><p>“That sounds more like a Harpy disaster waiting to happen.”</p><p>“It’s fiction!”</p><p>“So you like that sort of thing?”</p><p>She nodded twice. “There… are even stories about flying… from here to… other stars.”</p><p>“That sounds kind of silly.”</p><p>“It’s not silly!” Her tail slapped onto the pillow.</p><p>“No, not bad silly! Just… really hard to believe.”</p><p>“It’s possible! Maybe… maybe… I think…”</p><p>“What’s <b>on</b> the stars?”</p><p>“We… don’t know. B-But… the island realm… sky scratcher… they are building a big telescope…”</p><p>“To see other stars?”</p><p>Tria nodded. “It’s a bit hard for me to wrap my head around that. Won’t stuff like that upset the gods?”</p><p>“One… of the gods is… a sponsor.”</p><p>“Seriously.” Misa blinked a few times. “That’s… neat I guess?”</p><p>“Super… neat. I wanna… go there when it is complete…”</p><p>“When is that gonna be?”</p><p>Tria didn’t answer and lowered her head. “Not… not soon… there are some… material issues…”</p><p>“Well, if they finish it and I’m still here, we can go together. This… thing to look at the stars sounds really cool.”</p><p>Tria’s tail was now wagging like that of a dog and Misa was ever so happy that Tria couldn’t see the gleeful look on her face. “R-Really?!”</p><p>“Yeah. I promise.” Looking down at Tria trying to excitedly make a fist, she failed because of her long nails.<b> Three</b> of them were broken off now.“Do you always keep your nails so long?”</p><p>The Basilisk looked away. “N-No.”</p><p>“Want me to help you file them down?”</p><p>“You would?”</p><p>“That’s my job here. Among other things.”</p><p>Tria’s tail went under the huge pillow and then emerged with her feathered tip wrapped around a large metal object. “No-Normally they are… poisonous…”</p><p>“Normally?”</p><p>“The institute… has a doctor that… takes my poison. So… it’s safe.”</p><p>“Isn’t the mask pointless too if you got no poison?”</p><p>“N-No. It would make me… produce a lot of poison right away… and… and sweat it out.”</p><p><em>Basilisk bodies are so complicated… </em>“So your nails don’t have any poison in them?”</p><p>“It… takes a long time for them to absorb it…” Dropping the metal object – a file that had two large handles attached to it, both on the back and next to each other – onto the bed, Tria sat up and put out her hands, stretching out her fingers. “But… be careful… they’re… pointy.”</p><p>“Don’t worry.” Picking up the file, Misa nearly let it fall out of her hand for how heavy it was. <em>What in Calam is this thing made of?!</em> “I’m going to touch your hand, okay?” She figured that since Tria couldn’t see right now, she’d better tell her.</p><p>“O-Okay.”</p><p>Using her right hand to wield the file and the left to hold Tria’s hand steady in the air, she started with the thumb nail. They were about the length of her own fingers, which was terribly impractical. “Do you have any hobbies?”</p><p>“I like swimming…”</p><p>“Even though the river water is cold?”</p><p>“It feels really good to warm up after…”</p><p>“Oh I get what you mean. When I was little, my Mother took my Mom and me to a hot spring once during Icefall. It was <b>so</b> cold outside I swear my snot froze in my nose. It felt so good to run around in the snow and then get into the hot water.”</p><p>“I love hot springs too…”</p><p>“You kind of have your own hotspring here.”</p><p>“It’s… even warmer on the first floor.”</p><p>“You go down there a lot? I’ll have to use a bit more force, keep your fingers steady, okay?”</p><p>“N-No. I can’t… Basilisk’s can’t breathe underwater.”</p><p>“But you can take Mizuuki herbs right?”</p><p>Tria shook her head. “I’m scared it will… make me panic and get my poison everywhere.”</p><p>“That’s a good reason not to try. But swimming is fine?”</p><p>“Yes. I like swimming.”</p><p>“You don’t wear this… Tria, I’m really sorry to say this, but what you’re wearing is… not cute at all.”</p><p>“I know. But… but it is comfortable.”</p><p><em>If you lounge… work at home all day I guess being comfortable is important. But there has to be better ways than this.</em> “What do you wear for swimming?”</p><p>“Mermaid… clothes.”</p><p><em>Huh. I never thought about it, but makes sense that Mermaid clothes would fit snake folks pretty well.</em> “Okay. Does your thumb feel good?”</p><p>Using her other hand to touch on her thumb, Tria gasped. “It’s… it’s so smooth!”</p><p>“I’ll take that as a compliment. Next finger then.”</p><p>“Do… you like swimming?”</p><p>“I didn’t grow up near a river or lake. We had our wells and sometimes when the heavy rains come during Sunprime or Redreach, we have old fields that get flooded, but nothing like the big river here.”</p><p>“You can’t swim?”</p><p>“I… could probably manage to stay afloat if someone dropped me into a river.”</p><p>“I’ll… teach you sometime…”</p><p>“That sounds like it would be useful for going down to the first floor. Thank you.”</p><p>“My… my pleasure.”</p><p>“Anything else you like doing?”</p><p>“I… love reading.”</p><p>“That much I kinda gathered from all the books.”</p><p>“And… and… uh… I’m… a bit boring…”</p><p>“You’re <b>pleasantly</b> not eccentric.”</p><p>“Really? Even… though it is hard… to talk to me?”</p><p>“Do you talk like this to the…” <em>Crap, I forgot what her co-workers are.</em> “The others at work?”</p><p>“N-No. I’m… used to them.”</p><p>“You’ll get used to me.”</p><p>“Y-Yes.”</p><p>“Say, what’s that… glass contraption about?”</p><p>“The… big one?”</p><p>“Next finger… this one’s all messed up from being broken off. And no, the other one. By the door.”</p><p>“O-Oh… that’s for… smoking.”</p><p>“Like medicine to make you not produce poison?”</p><p>“N-No… just for fun.”</p><p>“Lots of that going around in this city.”</p><p>“I… like it. It’s… relaxing.”</p><p>“Isn’t it bad for you? Mom always said so.”</p><p>“Not all smoking… is bad.”</p><p>“What <b>do</b> you put in there?”</p><p>“Rinemu Wood chips.”</p><p>“And it relaxes you?”</p><p>Tria nodded. “Do you… want to try?”</p><p>“Another time.” <em>After I had a few drinks and brace myself for Mom’s wrath if she finds out.</em> “Next finger.”</p><p>“Are you going to work after I finish your nails?”</p><p>“Uhm… actually… I was going… to sleep… earlier.” Tria was pausing more than usual.</p><p>“It’s the middle of the day.”</p><p>“I like… mornings and evenings… and night.”</p><p>“Are Basilisks nocturnal?”</p><p>“N-No. I just like it… that way.”</p><p>“I’m not going away, so I’ll finish this and let you go to sleep.”</p><p>“S-Sorry…”</p><p>“What for? I’m the one that just showed up.”</p><p>“It’s… okay.”</p><p>“Do you know if Melodi is in?”</p><p>“She’s… out.”</p><p>“Rila said I should clean the floor.” <em>Wait… did she? Or am I just imagining that now? Either way probably not a bad idea.</em> “But I don’t really know if there’s any special tools and what to do about the water… do you know?”</p><p>“There’s… a supply closet in each bathroom. Just… sweep the ground. The… red rubber broom is for that.”</p><p>“Just the ground?”</p><p>“Melodi and I… uh… when we move over the ground…”</p><p>“Oh I get that part. It’s like making really strong steps and then stepping into a pebble or something sharp. Hurts like crazy. I was just wondering if I had to net the water or something.”</p><p>“Net?”</p><p>“Go with a net through the water to filter out floating stuff.”</p><p>“The water flows… in from the hallway… and goes down… and flows back out.”</p><p>“How’s it this hot here though?”</p><p>“Heat runes in the floor.”</p><p>“<b>In</b> the floor? How’s that maintained?”</p><p>“Ghosts.”</p><p>“Huh.” Misa didn’t really understand how that worked but she would probably find out eventually. “Okay, last finger.”</p><p>“Do you dislike the heat?”</p><p>“It’s probably gonna be a bit hard on me in Sunprime, especially the sixth and seventh cycle of it, right in the middle. But I’ll do my job no matter what.” <em>And if it’s to spend time with someone this cute… I’ll endure the heat!</em></p><p>“It is really nice in Icefall…”</p><p>“I can imagine. Doesn’t this heat up the upper floors, too?”</p><p>Tria nodded. “Rila built it… like this on purpose.”</p><p><em>That shrewd Gargoyle really knows her stuff.</em> “Is it even hotter on the first floor?”</p><p>“About… the same I think.”</p><p>“Okay, that’s one hand done.”</p><p>“Thank you… I always… get squeamish when I try and do it… myself.”</p><p>“Just tell me. How often do you need to do this? Every other day?”</p><p>“N-No. Not that often. Just… once… per cycle. Maybe once… every two cycles.”</p><p><em>Once every ten or twenty days is really nothing. I’m halfway done and this took like ten minutes or so.</em> “Just call me, okay?”</p><p>“I will… I’m glad you’re… nice.”</p><p>“Really? Was the last aide not nice?”</p><p>“She always complained about… the heat and… told me… to speak up…”</p><p>“I’m not like that, so rest assured I’ll be at your beck and call.” Misa blushed when she realized how that sounded.</p><p>“Thanks…”</p><p>“I’m curious, where is that research place you work at?”</p><p>“The Plateau… do you want to come and observe? It might be a little boring for you, but it is really interesting.” The moment it came to her work, Tria perked up and didn’t pause at all.</p><p><em>I hope she’s not a workaholic like Milala.</em> “Just curious. I haven’t really gone up to the Plateau much.”</p><p>“There is also a smaller… small place by the Riversight.”</p><p>“How come?”</p><p>“We work together with another institute. Mostly Mermaids.”</p><p>“So you get along well with Mermaids?”</p><p>“Not all… Kris is… kind of scary.”</p><p><em>I get that.</em> “She is pretty loud.”</p><p>“One of our staff… is also a Demon.”</p><p>“We are pretty much everywhere. What does she do?”</p><p>“Accountant.”</p><p>“Oh no.” Misa groaned in an exaggerated way. “That’s what my parents do! Next finger.”</p><p>“M-Misa.”</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“Have you… been to everyone’s room?”</p><p>“No. I saw Rila’s, Milala’s and Siaka’s so far. This room is just as unique as the others. I was surprised by how different they all are.”</p><p>“What’s your… room like?”</p><p>“Mostly empty!” Misa joked. “I didn’t come to this city with a lot of stuff so other than the furniture that was already there, the room’s just kinda empty. Although… <b>someone</b> has been leaving me gifts while I’m not there. Like a pitcher and such. Was that you?”</p><p>“M-Me?!” Tria sounded shocked. “I’d… never go into someone’s… room without… their permission.”</p><p>“Huh. I was pretty convinced it was you.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Because you saved me the first day I got here and seemed really nice.”</p><p>“Wasn’t me…”</p><p>“You have any idea who it could have been?”</p><p>“I don’t… talk to the others… that much. Sorry…”</p><p>“That’s fine. I’ll find out eventually. But it’s nice, too.”</p><p>“Nice?”</p><p>“That means there is someone else here that looks out for me.”</p><p>“You are very positive… I like that.”</p><p>“Thanks? Okay, next finger.”</p><p>“So fast…”</p><p>“You’re holding super still, so it’s easy.”</p><p>“Melodi always says that… I should move more.”</p><p><em>I can’t imagine that she’s chubby under that dress, not with how thin her arms are. </em>“How come?”</p><p>“I… get out of breath kinda… easily when going to work.”</p><p>“Anyone would get out of breath going up to The Plateau. What’s Melodi’s job?”</p><p>“She’s a performer!” Tria sounded really excited all of a sudden. “She sings and dances at the River with others! She is really good at it!”</p><p><em>Sounds like she really likes Melodi.</em> “I’ll have to see that at some point.”</p><p>Tria leaned forward and Misa nearly hit the Basilisk with the file because of it. “We can go together!”</p><p>“Please don’t suddenly move. I don’t wanna break off a nail.”</p><p>“Oh, sorry… just… I get a little excited about Melodi… her job.”</p><p>“I can tell. I’m here to be of help, so if you want someone to go there with you, we can do that.”</p><p>“I’ll bring my support glow staffs!”</p><p><em>Your what now?</em> “Looking forward to it. Okay, next finger.”</p><p>“Been a while since… I had all my nails down… it’s so easy to… grab things now…”</p><p>“You don’t do it yourself?”</p><p>“I… forget. I get caught up in work… eat and work and sleep… and just forget. It’s embarrassing.”</p><p>“Milala’s kinda like that too…”</p><p>“I’m… I just forget.”</p><p>“In the future I’ll make sure to check on you.” <em>A lot. </em>“Do you cook your own meals?”</p><p>Tria nodded. “I… like eastern food. Rice.”</p><p>“Me too. Although not too much of it, makes me feel so full I just want to lie down and sleep.”</p><p>“I… do that a lot.”</p><p>“Study hard, sleep hard?”</p><p>“I… forget to eat and then… eat a lot. And just… wanna sleep.”</p><p>“<b>Really</b> get that.”</p><p>“You do?”</p><p>“Yeah. Mom used to yell at Mother for it.”</p><p>“Are you close?”</p><p>“They were a bit mad I moved to this city, but I think they’re just worried. What about you?”</p><p>“My parents… are in Wanboo.”</p><p>“They’re where?”</p><p>“Wanboo.”</p><p>“No, I mean… where is that?”</p><p>“O-Oh… one of the… four island realms.”</p><p>“I’m sorry if I seem stupid, I… wasn’t the best student.”</p><p>Tria shook her head. “It’s… fine. I like explaining…”</p><p>“Last finger. I’ll probably have a lot of other stupid questions, especially about Basilisks in general.” <em>Like… how do you have sex with one?</em></p><p>“I’ll… explain what I know.”</p><p>“Thanks. So… about your glasses. Do you only have that one pair?”</p><p>“I have three.”</p><p>“Three?”</p><p>“One… is at the institute. For safety. Two are in the Ataraxis.”</p><p>“The wha- oh, the glass cylinder thing.”</p><p>“Y-Yes.”</p><p>“Got caught up in work and forgot to purify one pair last week?”</p><p>“N-No… better safe so… I always purify… both.”</p><p>“And you would have just gone to the bathroom real quick, then gone to sleep if I hadn’t shown up.”</p><p>Tria nodded. “But,… thanks to you, my nails… they’re so smooth now.”</p><p>“Don’t they get in the way while reading books anyway?”</p><p>“They do… a lot.”</p><p>“Isn’t that nice then? Okay, we’re done. How’s it feel?”</p><p>“Really good…”</p><p><em>Her hands looked kind of scary with the big nails, but not anymore.</em> “I’ll get to cleaning the hallway. Maybe I’ll be free tonight.”</p><p>“Tonight?”</p><p>“In case you want me to… you know, stay over.” Misa felt her heart beat faster. <em>I should be… proactive! With someone this shy at least! That she’s super cute doesn’t come into it at all!</em></p><p>“O-Oh. That’s… okay. I’ll work in the night.”</p><p><em>Right… </em>Misa facepalm slammed in her mind. “Should I put the file anywhere?”</p><p>“Just leave it there.”</p><p>“Okay. Then, see you… tomorrow I guess? Or in the evening?”</p><p>“M-Maybe. Say hello to… Melodi for me.”</p><p>“Will do. Good night, I guess?”</p><p>“T-Thanks for helping… with my nails.”</p><p>“Any time.”</p><p>Misa was barely out the door when she took a deep breath and spaced out. <em>That’s… kinda different from how I pictured her. Like Milala but only in the sense that she gets caught up in work… other than that, she’s really nice. The shyness is a little bit annoying, but if she warms up to me that’ll go away. Probably. She said so. Kinda. So… </em>Misa looked at the door opposite of the hallway. <em>I guess I’ll clean this place up. It’s just a hallway, so how hard could this be?</em></p><p>Entering the bathroom, she found it to be notably different from the one on the third and fourth floor. Of course there was the elevated floor right after the entrance, with the water calmly ebbing against the stone. Closing the door behind her, Misa inspected if water would still flow in and out, and sure enough, there were numerous small, fist sized holes in the wall just above the floor, through which water could pass.</p><p>The toilet there was shaped differently. An oval seat with the front and end open, like an open pipe, just a thousand times as elegant and fancy. Not that it was <b>that</b> fancy though. Metal handlebars were bolted to the ground next to the toilet on both sides. <em>So they just kind of slid on, and the handles are for staying steady or pulling on top or down?</em> A tall metal stick was embedded into the ground right in front – Misa assumed the side facing the door was the front – and after trying to move it, she accidentally pushed it down and the toilet flushed. <em>Huh. So, push from above.</em></p><p>A sink, a very large bathtub that was very <b>wide</b> but not very deep, two cabinets, a shelf, a basket for laundry. It was other than the toilet and the bathtub pretty much the same as above. In a corner by the entrance, elevated on stone, was a standing cabinet.</p><p>Opening it up, she found three specific kinds of tools. A large wooden stick that had a very wide black rubber lining at the bottom, so much so that she would have to hold it the other way to get it through the door. She recognized it, too. <em>This is the… the… thingy. The thingy they use to smooth out the pathways after rainstorms leave dirt and branches and pebbles everywhere. The… what’s it called? The thingy that scraps off the garbage… the… s</em><em>craper</em><em>. Or something.</em></p><p>The second tool was much smaller, seemingly to be wielded with one hand. The rubber lining was rougher and had a lot of little nobs to it. <em>I guess this is for the walls then? Keep algae and stuff from growing. I guess.</em></p><p>The third tool escaped her understanding. A long wooden stick with a large and thick wooden square at the end. The square was then further divided into nine equal squares, each of them bulging a little. Upon closer inspection, the bottom of the wooden square could be flipped open, like a very flat casket. <em>What… is this? To make waffles?</em> Misa didn’t even try to make further sense of it, put it back in the cabinet and took in hand the larger scraper. “Okay, let’s get to it.”</p><p>Stepping out into the hallway, she realized there was a big problem. <em>How exactly am I gonna pick up all the small stuff? It’s not like I got a dustpan. Not that that’d work in the water either. It’s just gonna float off and- </em>“Ohh! <b>That</b> is what the square thing is for! Scrape it together, open up, push inside, push it down and it traps the dirt in the holes!”<em> I’m<b> so</b> smart.</em></p><p>Looking down the hallway, she took a few steps forward and headed towards the hole that led to the abyss, floor 1.<em> Better move</em><em><b> away</b></em><em> from it so nothing sinks down. I wonder if this is how I clean down there, too.</em> Setting down the scraper, Misa pushes, gasped, then pushed harder.<em> Okay… let’s… lemme put my back into this!</em></p><p>Scrubbing the ground, pushing the scraper through the water, Misa was sweating hard.<em> I really need to go take that shower after this… I’m gonna reek.</em> Continuing on with her work, she hummed a little tune.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. As Things Go</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Misa wraps up her day and meets someone unexpected!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>I’m beat.</em> Falling face down into her bed, Misa felt the towel around her unravel and slip off her back. She didn’t care one bit. <em>How did it take me two hours to clean just a little bit of hallway…? </em>The sun was well past its zenith now and Misa was ready to call it a day. Unfortunately, things were not that easy for her.</p><p>Just lying there, she felt the need to just pass out and go to sleep. Fighting that off took every little bit of willpower and pride in not letting the job wear her down so early. Rolling over, the towel pressed flat onto the sheets, she looked at the ceiling and exhaled with a deep sigh attached to it. <em>What a day.</em> Just lying there and thinking nothing at all, she felt her body object to the whole nakedness part of it by sending a shiver up her back. <em>Ugh…</em> Sitting up, Misa looked towards her wardrobe. <em>Not sure what else I’m gonna be doing now though… should I just wear something multi-purpose?</em></p><p>Sitting, staring at the wardrobe in the faint hope that the wardrobe would magically decide <b>for</b> her and spit out clothes that then would magically fly onto her body, Misa waited. Of course, nothing happened. <em>I wonder if there’s a Witch in the house… it’s absurd I still have almost no idea who lives here other than a handful of them. All because that Caladamn Gargoyle is enjoying herself so much. </em>Kicking the air in front of her bed with all the effort of someone very tired, Misa sighed. “Okay, Misa you can do this.”</p><p>Looking at the pile of laundry she had produced over the last few days, she decided that now was as good a time as any to grab the entire baskets in the bathrooms, take to the yard and get some cleaning done. <em>Clean clothes, clean mind. Something like that.</em></p><p>It was slim pickings in regards to what she could wear. Opting for a sturdy janes-made long skirt, sandals, and a black shirt that was tied into a big ribbon knot just below her chest, she looked every bit the boonies girl she was. <em>I really didn’t wanna bring this but thanks Mom for smuggling it into my luggage anyway.</em></p><p>Gathering up the laundry produced a much, much bigger pile than Misa had anticipated. The house was quiet, at least, so nobody interrupted her as she carried a basket that was four times over capacity out to the yard. <em>Everyone’s out or asleep. If Tria’s awake at night… I wonder if she cooks dinner at breakfast time. That’s so weird </em><em>to think about. What do Basilisks eat anyway? Fish? Meat? </em><em>Veggies? Diary? I know Lamias like eggs, especially Harpy eggs but any kind of bird egg too. So maybe Tria likes those too? I should ask her. Maybe surprise her with a Harpy egg.</em></p><p>Standing next to a laundry pile that was almost as big as she was tall, Misa grinned in a panicked way. <em>Oh crap there is no way I’m gonna finish that before sundown. </em><em>But I’m at least gonna cut it in half. Maybe.</em></p><p>Using a garden hose to fill a large washing bin with water, Misa dropped in two cleansing talismans and watched them dissolve. <em>At least laundry is pretty much the exact same way here as it is back home. Minus having to pull a bunch of buckets of water from the well. </em><em><b>That</b></em><em> I really don’t miss.</em></p><p>Grabbing a few articles of clothing from the pile, Misa knelt down and that was where the skirt came in handy. For most clothes it was enough to just soak them briefly in the cleansing fluid, pull them out, squeeze them and throw them into another basket. <em>I should probably go and put stuff up in turns or I’ll end up with super pressed wet lumps.</em></p><p>One article after another – shirt, blouse, skirt, panties, skirt, blouse, shirt, skirt, pants, pants, panties, bra – Misa made good progress rather quickly. <em>These talismans are way better than the ones we have back home. They just melt away anything, sweat, stains… I should buy a bag full and have it sent back home. Mom is gonna be ecstatic.</em></p><p>As minutes passed faster and faster, Misa tuned out the task at hand. No matter what kind of racy piece of fabric or fur she got in her hands, it just passed into the water, got rubbed and squeezed, then thrown onto the pile of clean but mostly sopping wet clothes.</p><p>“Hard at work, huh?” A voice ripped her out of her calm trance state.</p><p>Looking back, over her shoulder, she saw Maina, wearing a formfitting black dress, black gloves that went all the way to her shoulders and long, laced black boots. Her wings were folded in an X shape across her back and her tail rounded around her waist like a girdle. She was terribly overdressed for just being outside. “What are <b>you</b> doing here?”</p><p>“Didn’t I tell you I was hoping for a room to open up?”</p><p>Misa’s mouth opened in terror. “Don’t tell me-!”</p><p>“You should see your face, you know.” A sadistic smile was prominently displaying on the Succubus’ face. “I thought I’d check in on you.”</p><p>“How’d you even know I was here?” Misa cleaned the piece in her hands, panties that had laces to both hip sides, threw it onto the pile and got up.</p><p>“Don’t stop for me. I’m not staying long.”</p><p>“Looking like that I’m not surprised.” Kneeling right back down, she turned her back at her cousin. “I’m doing fine.”</p><p>“Is this…” There was a pause. “Normal? That much laundry?”</p><p>“A lot piled up. Seems like way more than a cycle’s worth.”</p><p>“So you’re not being worked to the bone?”</p><p>“If I didn’t know better I’d think you’re <b>worried</b> about me.”</p><p>“Of course I’m worried about you.”</p><p>“Who?”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Who got in touch with you? Mom? Or Mother?”</p><p>“Why do you think either of them did?”</p><p>“Because I’m not an idiot.”</p><p>“Neither of them did.”</p><p>“<b>Your</b> Mom then.”</p><p>“What makes you so sure-”</p><p>“I’m fine. I actually created this laundry mess myself. I figured there wouldn’t be <b>this</b> much so I grabbed all of the baskets. Big mistake.”</p><p>“Yeah, I can see that.”</p><p>“Anything else?”</p><p>“Bad day?”</p><p>“Not really. It just feels like you showed up here expecting to see me have failed.”</p><p>“Something like that.”</p><p>“I knew it.”</p><p>“But what I was thinking was that suddenly being thrown into the role of a courtesan would be way too much for you.”</p><p>“Well… I can’t say I’m handling it because so far I only slept over in Siaka’s room and I was passed out drunk so nothing happened.”</p><p>“Nobody pin you down yet?”</p><p>“Siaka did pin me down but then I almost puked from drinking too much.”</p><p>“Who’s Siaka?”</p><p>“Really buff Jinko lady that lives on the third floor.”</p><p>“The third…” There was a pause that Misa thought had to be Maina looking up.</p><p>“The third floor is the ground floor.”</p><p>“How come?”</p><p>“First floor is underwater and the second… is kinda like a hot lagoon.”</p><p>“That’s a lot more crazy than I heard.”</p><p>“Why are <b>you</b> surprised by this anyway?”</p><p>“I might have not been listening to whoever told me about this place too well in-between satisfying her with my tongue.”</p><p>“You really weren’t joking about the whole courtesan thing.”</p><p>“Why would I <b>possibly</b> joke about that?”</p><p>“Fair enough.”</p><p>“So you’re actually intending to stay?”</p><p>“What else am I gonna do? Not that I <b>want</b> to leave. If I told you what my salary is, I think your horns would fall off.”</p><p>“Gonna be somewhere in the range of one Eldra.”</p><p><em>Tsk.</em> “Way off!”</p><p>“Sure. I got a few more minutes, tell me about the girls that live here.”</p><p>“Considering <b>how much money</b> they make, it’s more like what <b>ladies</b> live here.”</p><p>“Go on.”</p><p>“I only met a few of them.”</p><p>“Huh?” There was audible disbelief. “What do you mean? Are they on vacation?”</p><p>“You would not believe it if I told you. So on the fourth floor we have this… really lean, attractive Ocelot lady, Milala.”</p><p>“Yikes.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“They’re workaholics and beyond that, they’re not great in bed.”</p><p>“You have- of course <b>you</b> have experience.”</p><p>“Want to know a few tricks?” The tone of her voice made it obvious that Maina expected her to panic, turn her down and get terrible embarrassed.</p><p><em>Foolish Maina. That was the Misa of a few days ago! I have evolved into a higher being since then!</em> “Please. Any help appreciated.”</p><p>“See?! I knew you wouldn’t- what?”</p><p>“Do they like it when you touch their ears?”</p><p>“Huh?!”</p><p>“What about their tail?”</p><p>“Excuse me!” Maina almost shouted. “This Misa is defective, I’d like to return her!”</p><p>“Stop being stupid and actually give me those tricks.”</p><p>“Wow. Uh. That’s certainly a jump from barely being able to look at me being naked.”</p><p>“Maina.”</p><p>“Okay, okay. For starters, they’re not much for kissing. They have very sensitive backs. Your boobs aren’t that big, so rubbing them on their back might not be so great. That’s all about coverage. But dripping a few drops of saliva onto their back and licking, especially just below the shoulders, that does wonders for their mood. Their tail isn’t particularly sensitive but the part where it connects to their back is. You can get a bit rough there if you want, Ocelots have really flexible bones.”</p><p>“Thanks. That helps.”</p><p>“How are you the same Misa that was turning red just being in a brothel room?”</p><p>“I’ll tell you when I figure that out.”</p><p>“Anything else you wanna know?”</p><p>“What about Jinkos?”</p><p>“They like to take the lead and preferences vary pretty wildly. Some like big girls, some like small ones, big boobs, small boobs, long hair, short hair… there’s only a couple things that all of them seem to like.”</p><p><em>Well Siaka at least is into big boobs.</em> “And?”</p><p>“Their lips. They like to kiss a lot, and they get really, <b>really</b> turned on if you bite their lips a bit, like you’re refusing to let go.”</p><p><em>Oh. Yeah, that checks out.</em> “Anything else?”</p><p>“Their ears. Or rather, sounds. Making lewd sounds like moaning or gasping into their ears gets them really wet. I can’t believe I am actually teaching <b>you</b> about courtesan things.”</p><p>“Stranger… things haven’t happened. I guess.”</p><p>“Who else lives here?”</p><p>“Rila, the Gargoyle that owns this place.”</p><p>“No real advice there other than don’t let her get on top.”</p><p>“That much I figured out myself. So Gargoyles have all their own… turn ons?”</p><p>“Far as I can tell.”</p><p>“Not like it’s possible to surprise that shrewd Gargoyle anyway.”</p><p>“Ocelot, Jinko, Gargoyle. That’s pretty wild. What else? Nekomata? Renmao? Kikimora? Grizzly?”</p><p>“Not that I know of. One floor down there’s a Basilisk called Tria and an Unagi Joro called Melodi.”</p><p>“Lucky you.”</p><p>“How?”</p><p>“Basilisks are rare. I don’t know anyone that’s slept with one before.”</p><p>“Seriously?”</p><p>“Lucky you.”</p><p>“Don’t say it twice.”</p><p>“The Unagi though… they’re big into having their boobs groped.”</p><p>“Sounds kind of easy.” Misa looked at the pile of wet clothing. <em>I’ll have to cut it here for now.</em> “Walk with me?”</p><p>“Where?”</p><p>“Just around back, I gotta put up this- hmmphghfg!” Misa tried to lift the bin with the many wet clothes and really underestimated how heavy that would get. Barely able to raise the wooden container, she staggered forward. <em>Note… to self… take more… breaks… </em></p><p>“Unagi are really sensitive, so little bit too much strength and you hurt them, not enough and it’s more of a tickle. Takes skill to find the sweet spot for each of them.”</p><p>Grunting, panting, Misa couldn’t reply as she heard Maina talk behind her.</p><p>“They’re also really sensitive on and around their vali. A lot more than you and me.”</p><p><em>Nice… to… know…</em> Misa used her wings, fully stretched out, to try and counteract the weight of the bucket. They had barely made it around the building when she just slammed down the bin and groaned. “<b>Calam!</b>”</p><p>“Don’t pile up so much.”</p><p>“Now you tell me.”</p><p>“You gotta tell me what it’s like sleeping with a Basilisk when you get to. I’m dying of curiosity.”</p><p>“Probably not.”</p><p>“Come on, give and take.”</p><p>“I don’t believe in blabbing about the sex life of the tenants.”</p><p>“Stingy Imp!”</p><p>“Who the rot are you calling an Imp?!”</p><p>“You!”</p><p>“There are some things you can and some things you can’t say!”</p><p>“By Selam, don’t be such a narrow minded stick!”</p><p>“Would <b>you</b> tell me about a specific client coming to you?!”</p><p>Maina pointed her fingers at Misa, opened her mouth to counter. “Seladamn you using my own professionalism against me!”</p><p>“You just want to know for bragging rights anyway!”</p><p>“What? No! I wanna know because it’s important information that’s hard to come by!”</p><p>“What, you’re going to write it down and make a pamphlet?” Misa was just oozing sarcasm now.</p><p>“It goes into my notes, yes. So when I take an apprentice, I teach her, she teaches her apprentice and so on. How else do you think stuff like Jinko getting off on having their lips being bitten down on is learned? I don’t get so many Jinko clients to try out every conceivable act!”</p><p>“What. Seriously?”</p><p>“Maybe don’t be so judgmental!”</p><p>Staring at each other, Misa broke eye contact first. “Okay, that’s my bad then.”</p><p>“As long as you understand.”</p><p>“How about Mermaids?”</p><p>“Somewhere above water or underwater?”</p><p>Misa didn’t answer and hung up a skirt. “Both maybe?”</p><p>“Above water you’ll want to be pretty well hydrated and just… give them a lot of your saliva. They have crazy sensitive taste buds so letting them lick your vali is also a huge play for them.”</p><p>Without intending to, Misa glanced down between her own legs. <em>I can totally see Kris just going under in that pond and using her tongue on me… it’s… kinda sexy to imagine.</em> “What about underwater?”</p><p>“Because of the water, saliva doesn’t really work that well and neither does licking. The one time I was hired for an underwater session we used a tool on me and I was tied up, but I think that was just her specific fetish.”</p><p>“I’ll… figure it out I guess.” <em>I can totally see Kris being into tying my up… </em></p><p>“That’s a pretty broad clientele you got here.”</p><p>“I haven’t even met most of them… there’s definitely winged folks up on the sixth floor.”</p><p>“If there’s a Jubjub, just having stamina is important. Some of them can outlast a Succubus. And they keep going even if you faint.”</p><p><em>Great.</em> “What’s a Jubjub?”</p><p>“Pink, super stacked, always smells kind of sweet. Tiny and doesn’t really fly much.”</p><p>“Oh, the one I saw when I came to ask you for a job?” Putting up more and more clothes, Misa was worrying about running out of lines to hang stuff on.</p><p>“Yeah. Normal Harpies… they’re big into licking and sucking on boobs. If you’re really stacked or take a lot of Nyko, some of them like to sit on your huge boobs and ride your nipples like a finger.”</p><p>“That’s… pretty crazy.”</p><p>“Harpies are sensitive emotionally, so don’t say that to their face.”</p><p>“Got it.”</p><p>“Black Harpies… honestly, I don’t have a lot of experience with them, they’re more into dominating and humiliation plays and we don’t offer that. And if there’s a Thunderbird, you need to go and take a course for that, it’s dangerous for an untrained girl to sleep with them. You could end up dead.”</p><p>“Dead?!”</p><p>“When they orgasm they shock you really hard. For normal folks like you and me, that could stop our heart or fry our brain.”</p><p>“By Calam…”</p><p>“Who else is on the other floors?”</p><p>Misa opened her mouth. <em>Who was that girl across the hall from my room? A… A… Caladamn.</em> “What about someone with blue fur and- Raiju! That’s it. That’s the one.”</p><p>Maina looked visibly distressed. “You got a <b>Raiju</b> living here?”</p><p>“You don’t like them?”</p><p>“They’re… profitable, but also… think of them like super charged Jubjubs.”</p><p>“Super charged how?”</p><p>“When they get going, they don’t stop until they pass out.”</p><p>“Any weak spots?”</p><p>“They react so strongly, I don’t have a clue. It’s like anything is good with them. They’re similar to the Thunderbird, but they don’t shock you when they orgasm, so it’s safe.”</p><p>“You sure?”</p><p>“Yeah, I’m sure. I wouldn’t joke about this.”</p><p>“Are all Raiju like that?”</p><p>“I met four different ones as customers. Twelve plus hours until they were satisfied. I couldn’t touch another girl for two days, so full was I.”</p><p>“That sounds like it’ll kill me in other ways than shocking.”</p><p>“You definitely need to get her to agree to a safe word for stopping. They might be wild, but they’re not stupid.”</p><p>“Okay. Noted.” <em>This is a lot to remember. Ocelots on their back… Jinko lips and ears… Unagi their boobs and vali… Mermaids saliva and licking my vali… Jubjub… uh what was it? Stamina? I’m already forgetting stuff, let’s focus on just Siaka and Milala.</em> “Any other tricks for Ocelot or Jinko?”</p><p>“One final one, I gotta go actually. But this is the big one that every successful courtesan lives by.”</p><p>“Oooh.” Misa was all ears.</p><p>“Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to ask. A lot of training, experimenting and practice goes into our line of work. It’s respectable and important work. Be proud.”</p><p>“Your Mom give you that speech?”</p><p>“She did. It’s true though.”</p><p>“Yeah… yeah I guess.”</p><p>“I’ll come by again.” Walking past her cousin, Maina touched her index and middle finger to her own lips and then passed a kiss to Misa’s lips just like that.</p><p>“Give me more tips then.” Misa looked after her cousin.</p><p>“If you’re still holding up, sure.” Waving lightly with just her tail as she walked off, Maina disappeared around the corner of the building.</p><p><em>Like I’m just gonna throw in the towel after all of this.</em> Looking at the overburdened clothing lines, Misa sighed. <em>I’ll have to put the rest back. And- oh <b>crap</b>. I totally… I totally forgot to sort these by owner. It was so much, I didn’t even think about that. Uh. Uhhhh. What do I do now?</em></p><p>“Someone’s been busy.”</p><p>Just as Maina had appeared, so did Rila, in Misa’s hour of absolutely not needing her boss to witness her screw up in real time. Turning about to face the Gargoyle, Misa didn’t even have time to come up with an excuse. “Uh… I kinda screwed up.”</p><p>“Forgot what belongs to who?”</p><p>“How-”</p><p>“Those rag- that dress over there is Fea’s. The turtleneck is Yin’s. Those stockings… actually I have no idea. They’ll figure out the baskets are empty and can pick their stuff out themselves.”</p><p>“Is that okay?”</p><p>“Who’s gonna talk back to me?”</p><p>Misa opened her mouth but no words came out for a couple seconds. “That’s… true.”</p><p>“Next time don’t mess up though. Just do one basket at a time.”</p><p>“Speaking of that-”</p><p>“I saw the mess on the other side.”</p><p>“What… do I do with that?”</p><p>“Put a tarp over it and shove it in storage until tomorrow. Even if you wash them now, there’s nowhere to hang em and we are not spending a ton of drying talismans on this when it’s the middle of Greenbloom.”</p><p>“I’ll be more careful next time. Thank you.”</p><p>Rila grinned. “Did you think I’d chew you out?”</p><p>“You kinda showed up before I could even think that, but that would <b>probably</b> have been a thought.”</p><p>“One of the past aides, a Succubus-” Rila trailed off. “Speaking of Succubus, I saw this insanely hot Succubus lady walk off the property. Did you see her?”</p><p><em>Ugh.</em> “That’s my cousin, Maina. Didn’t you say you know her?”</p><p>“I do, and now that you mention that, she did look like her. Hard to remember faces you’ve only seen a few times in bad lighting though.”</p><p><em>That makes more sense than I want it to.</em> “So what about that Succubus aide?”</p><p>“She figured she could just dump everyone’s laundry on the first floor.”</p><p>Misa cringed. “Really?”</p><p>“I told you, everyone before you couldn’t really handle the non-sex parts.”</p><p>“Yeah… makes a lot of sense now.”</p><p>“So this-” Rila very subtly gestured at the aching clothing lines with her tail. “Isn’t really much of an issue.”</p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p>“Any plans for tonight?”</p><p>“Sleep would be great.”</p><p>Rila snorted a little. “Well, maybe you get lucky. You eaten yet?”</p><p>“Dinner?”</p><p>“Well, that’s what we city folks eat around this time.”</p><p>“Not yet.”</p><p>“There’s an eatery I can recommend.”</p><p>“Thanks but… I think I’ll just go and check out the area. See what speaks to me.”</p><p>Rila smiled, and for once it wasn’t a mocking smile. “Good idea.”</p><p>“Do we have tarps anywhere?”</p><p>“In the storage room.”</p><p>“I’ll do that and… grab dinner.”</p><p>“You go down to the second floor?”</p><p><em>Uh oh.</em> “I did.”</p><p>“Cleaned?”</p><p>“That’s a <b>lot</b> harder than I thought it would be. It’s like trying to shovel sand!”</p><p>“Figure out the tools okay?”</p><p>“Yes. About that wall scraper…”</p><p>“Don’t worry about that one too much, that’s only really necessary every now and then.”</p><p>“How often should the floor get scrubbed anyway?”</p><p>“Once a cycle is plenty, really. Melodi goes out through the first floor, and Tria doesn’t leave much, so they don’t track in much dirt.”</p><p>“Phew. Honestly, that’s a relief.”</p><p>“We got plenty of other back breaking activities lined up for you.”</p><p>“Figures.”</p><p>Rila started to turn away and then stopped. “Before I forget. How did it go with Chantelise?”</p><p>“I think well.”</p><p>“Looking forward to that.”</p><p>She opened her mouth, closed it, and said nothing. <em>I’ll ask her about her… preferences another time. For now I need to keep in mind what Maina told me. Ocelot’s their back, Jinko lips and noises… crap, what was the other stuff? Uh… Unagi… I’ll remember once I </em><em>have </em><em>had something to eat. Probably.</em></p><p>Rila didn’t say anything like <em>see you later</em>. They lived in the same house, that much was a given. She was a few steps away already when she stopped and turned around again. “Misa.”</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“Welcome to Lillium. And welcome, properly, to Minais Sho.”</p><p>=|=|= End of Volume 1 =|=|=</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Other than the Lore Bonus after this, this concludes Volume 1. Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed the story, leaving a kudo or comment of what you thought would be much appreciated.</p>
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<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Location Bonus 2 - The World of Minais Sho – Seijono</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A small glance into the world of Minais Sho beyond Minais Sho.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>__The World of Minais Sho – Seijono</b>
</p><p>(<em>Excerpt of Tail Tales Special Edition; Issue GS1608-1</em>)</p><p>This world of ours is officially known as Seijono, commonly known as the mortal realm, and is by scholars understood to be a huge sphere of land, water, air and people that exists adjacent to the much smaller spheres of Kag Mia, land of the gods, and Tashi Mano, the soul cleanser, all three of which exist within the great vastness.</p><p>Seijono itself is comprised of two larger landmasses and several smallers ones. For our reader’s convenience, we will briefly visit some of the more important places to be found far and wide. A folding map has been included free of charge! A larger, more detailed map can be bought by mail order from your local Tail Tale correspondent or Ratatoskr of note!</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p><b>Of the Unified Realms; Common Realm</b> – A place that many folks and beings call home, land devastated in the great conflict of old and regenerated through ceaseless and tireless work of the gods. We ask all our readers to include especially the lesser known gods in their prayers from time to time.</p><p>Occupying the northern part of the great western continent, the Common Realm houses many cities, among which Minais Sho would have to be the most notable of them all, situated far north at the ocean’s caress. With a temperate climate, bountiful ocean to all sides, many great plains, countless rivers and an abundance of powerful and yet harmless nature, the Common Realm has been called the Developing Realm. Surely great things are to come of it in the centuries to follow.</p><p>While it houses not many landmarks, scarcely any of note, and is thusly of little interest to tourists, the welcoming fauna and flora of the Common Realm has made it perfect for peaceful cities to spring up one by one. Many believe that it is a sleight to call it the Common Realm for the welcoming aspects of it are anything but Common. Those who live there will often insist it be the most comfortable of all the realms.</p><p><b>The Nature Lands; </b>The realm that has born some of the powerfully animalistic folks such as the Ocelot and Jinko. With gargantuan forests spanning from the western-most reaches to the eastern-most, only the city of Junanji and the great gilden road of Zos resists the almost uncontrollable growth of nature.</p><p>Housing countless yet unknown beings, the Nature lands are documented only sparsely and special legal permit is required to adventure within. Issuing such permits lies with and at he sole discretion of the Thousand Matriarch, the Ocelot ruler of Junanji. This reporter nonetheless will recommend to at least travel the gilden road once, to see Junanji and the great, nearly hundred meter tall trees that consume much of the realm. To our feathered readers we will issue the following advance; many an unknown might still lurk within the lands and the forest, so leisure flight and rest at the great forest is to be done only in the most cautious of ways and best avoided entirely.</p><p>Legends of lost civilizations, of a great folk that some call the ultimate combination of the Jinko and the Ocelot, the Leodis, have circulated our realms for longer than some cultures have existed. No such proof has ever been found, but given the tremendous size of the Nature Lands, one simply cannot be sure.</p><p>Ground fertile beyond belief, Air so clean that even a Harpy would be hard pressed to find better, Noises of nature that speak in bounds about how civilization is naught but a temporary setback for the world we call home. While it is not space for vacation, the wonders of the Nature Lands are plentiful and the city of Junanji a miracle to behold in person.</p><p><b>Dark Lands;</b> A tiny realm, connected to the others merely by adjacency to the gilden road. With trees so large and powerful, entangled with vine and bush, the world beneath those majestic plants is swallowed by the dark of night at all times. The mothering land that the Apophis hail from, only a single city exists and visitors are barred from entering. Only select individuals across the world, selected for their smarts, ingenuity, magical prowess or wisdom, will be allowed entry.</p><p>If the Nature Lands pose an unknown danger, the Dark Lands pose danger beyond imagining. Of bushes, of foliage, so poisonous that a mere grazing touch would kill a Troll even, of insects and small beasts that will eat through even refined Dwarven alloys, it is not a place this reporter can recommend to anyone.</p><p>Trade and entry into the Dark Lands is restricted. Enterprising adventurers that have reached at least certification of rank seven or above can apply for entry permits at the Apophian Embassy in Junanji.</p><p><b>The Dwarven Realms; </b>Called such for these lands were the first to bear the Dwarves. Littered with mountains, gorges, canyons, cliffs and quarries, these are the great lands of stone and minerals. With very little fauna and flora, many would consider it a dreadful place, but more than sixty percent of the stone and iron produce of all the realms comes from here. Home to more than approximately fifty million Dwarves, all of their cities exist underground. The largest city, The Tejintsu, and it has to be noted that it is not their capital city, lies close by the oceans to the east, exporting and importing tremendous amounts of wares every day.</p><p>Travel through the Dwarven Realm is free as long as one has a valid personal registration card of either their local government where they reside or a visitor’s pass from the Dwarven Mercantile Office, typically issued to all traders.</p><p>Contrary to many of our reader’s expectations, Dwarven cities and dwellings are by no means accommodating only to ones of short stature as themselves. This reporter can recommend the many abandoned mines, cities and underground labyrinths to fledgling and even advanced adventurers of all sizes and natures. The far south-east by the ocean and the far south-east near the Great Sands should be avoided by travelers, the curious and adventurers alike. These bordering zones have been declared specially designated danger zones, making entry illegal with fines of up to eighty Madra per offense.</p><p><b>The Demonic Realm</b>; The single most spacious realm of all, the Demonic Realm was once regarded as an unwelcoming, harsh, poor land that could scarcely support the Demon population native to it. It was thanks to the agricultural, technological and scientific advances around the realms that the once ragged wastes have bloomed into lush, prosperous lands. Home to a hundred million Demons and many other folks, the Demonic Realm plays a large and important role not only in commerce but also politics and research. Home to many noteworthy places such as the greatest castle in the world, Vania – note: unauthorized entry is illegal even for adventurers – and the world’s largest and most skilled brothel, the Aiffair.</p><p>Home to the pinnacle of adventuring needs, the Taboukenbi, any adventurer should visit the Demonic Realm at least once. Whether it be the living forests in the west, the gehnenna lakes in the south or the famous ‘Black Stele’ in the far east, there is much to see.</p><p>One must note however that without permanent residency, one is limited to thirty days, for tourists, and fifty days, for adventurers, of staying within the realm. In addition, adventurers seeking to behave as such, and not merely enjoy the many offers the realm bears for tourists, must pay a fee of two Madra per individual.</p><p>Far in the south, the Demonic Realm enjoys high temperatures through all seasons. At the height of Sunprime, the grand festival, Crowning of the Maou, is held and can only be recommended. Tickets for admittance can be obtained ahead of time at your local Ratatoskr!</p><p><b>The Marshlands</b>; A small, highly humid and undeveloped swamp area that is home to the Lizardwomen folk. Entry is restricted and violations of the screening process are punishable by up to four greater cycles of imprisonment. Little of note is known to exist in the Marshlands and it has remained relatively untouched by civilization for many thousands of years. The native people of the Marshlands live in harmony with nature. It is considered of little interest at the greater stage of all the realms and that seems to suit the inhabitants just fine. Despite it’s proximity of being adjacent right to the Demonic Realm, there exists no official embassy of the Lizardwomen in the Demonic Realm and all entry applications have to be filed right at the border.</p><p><b>The Southern Hells</b>; Named so for their furiously active volcanoes, this is one of the specially designated dangerous areas to which all civilian entry is completely forbidden. Only adventuring parties of special designation and companionship can obtain permits to travel The Southern Hells and even then it is not advised.</p><p>Home to dangerous, monstrous beings such as the Ushi-Oni and the Girtabliu, even mighty adventurers will find themselves hard pressed to find anything of value in the fiery, magma ridden lands.</p><p>Passage by ship within fifty leagues of the Southern Hells is restricted because of poisonous dusts and miasmas exerted by the active volcanoes there. The Marshlands to the north-west find themselves protected by a massive mountain range that is in practicality impossible to scale on foot. The Red Abyss to the east on the other hand has erected the great blood wall to keep out the dangerous elements.</p><p>The Demonic Realm maintains a military presence along the entire border of this most dangerous area.</p><p><b>The Red Abyss</b>; Home of the Salamanders, this region of the realms is the much more lucrative cousin of the Southern Hells. Consisting of many now dormant volcanoes, it remains a powerfully hot place for which entry requires either a designated business contract, co-signed by the Dwarven and Demonic governments, or a special designation adventuring pass, obtainable at the Adventuring headquarters in Zalvelth.</p><p>Extremely rich in minerals, most of the workforce in the Red Abyss consists of Salamanders who are not only the native folk of this region but also the enterprising faction that enables the exploitation of the many resources.</p><p>To create a livable and workable environment, a massive workforce consisting of Golems, Automatons, Ghosts, Trolls, Minotaurs and Ogres created the Great Blood Wall – named so for the many sacrifices made to create it. Measuring one hundred, thirty-three and a half meters high, it is a monument of epic scale that cuts out the poisonous winds from the east. An endeavor that once took more than a century of work and enormous capital fronted by the Dwarves and Demons.</p><p><b>The Great Black Sands;</b> Another specially designated danger zone – the Black Sands are as the name indicates an enormous black sand desert that is considered the most deadly environment in all the realms. More dangerous still than the Southern Hells, only six adventuring parties are ever known to have been granted official access to this most horrible area in our realm.</p><p>Filled with pitfalls of quicksand, sandstorms, the incredibly dangerous Will-o-Wisp, Sandworms, Oomukade and many other lethal things, the Great Black Sands are sometimes used to exile and sentence especially vile criminals to death. Nothing of worth is known to exist in this region and this reporter can only caution everyone, tourist and adventurer, to stay far, far away. Both the Dwarven and Demonic military maintain a close guard on the area, having surrounded the sands with a tremendous wall to contain it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you liked it, please leave a comment or kudos, I can certainly continue this if it is popular!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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